Mysterious Captivation
by Shy Whisper Of Life
Summary: It was strange. They were kidnappers, murderers, S-class missing ninja. There was another side to them, though. A side no one else had ever seen. She mentally shook her head. There was no way she could humanize the Akatsuki.
1. The Kidnapping

**(A/N: This story is dedicated to MyFinalFantasy! I hope y'all like it. I guess since Deidara is alive and this doesn't follow the plot of the show/manga, its kinda AU-ish. I'll try to post a chapter once every threeweeks, and they'll be longish. Don't really have much else to say today…**

**Pairing: ItaHinaDei  
Ages: Hinata & rookie nine: 18, team Gai: 19, Deidara: 22, Itachi: 24  
Features ideas from: MyFinalFantasy  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 1

The full moon shown down on the midnight haired girl who was dancing on the surface of the water below. The late summer wind blew through the clearing, located a half hour's walk from Konoha, which was the perfect place for her to train.

Her weak body pushed the chakra from her fingertips, lifting droplets of liquid from the waterfall and making them dance and shimmer in the moonlight.

She had recently been sick, and only that night had she awoken from her previously feverful slumber and back into a healthy state. She had been so feverish that she had retreated into the cocoon of her covers to the point where no one could see her. Servants had even begun to leave her water and broth on her bedside table, for they could not awaken her.

When she woke in the middle of the night, feeling as healthy as she had the weeks before she had caught her sickness, she realized how much time had passed. Over a week! She hadn't been able to train within that period of time; the pale, long haired girl hadn't worked to grow stronger in such a long time. It felt wonderful to her to be outside, training, under the light of the full moon.

She had almost forgotten how satisfying it felt to train, to feel her body growing marginally stronger as the droplets of water flew through the air in a mystifying pattern of movement.

Her clothes, discarded on the banks of the pond, were the only reason that she did not wish that someone were there with her. She dearly wished that someone could witness her beautiful, graceful display of power, but not so much that she was willing to invite someone; the fact that she trained without her Hyuuga garments prevented that.

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His blonde hair flew in the wind created by his desperate dash through the trees. He grumbled as he leapt from branch to branch. "Stupid Leader-sama." He said, allowing his thoughts to be swept away by the wind.

He had been kicked out of the building after blowing up one of the walls. Of course, it wasn't his fault! There was no way anyone with a bomb could resist blowing up the oranged masked man who acted as though he were a five year old.

Tobi was the most annoying member of the Akatsuki. By far, he was the one most prone to being hurt, yet it never seemed to faze him. Nothing about the man ever changed.

_But how could Leader-sama have kicked ME out instead of that annoying brat?_ He wondered to himself, his blue eyes clouded with rage. Now he had to go find his own place to sleep.

He had been running for at least an hour (on orders to be nowhere within several dozen miles of the hideout) when he heard a noise.

It sounded almost like a waterfall.

His pace slowed, and he put up his guard upon sensing another presence. Though it didn't seem to have much chakra, nor did it seem even slightly aware of his being there, there was no way for him to tell whether the person was truly dangerous or not.

He should know; he put up with Tobi daily. Yes, the man was annoying, but he was a force to be reckoned with when he needed to be.

The blonde haired, blue eyed man stopped near the edge of the clearing, far enough back to be out of sight, but close enough that he could observe everything that was taking place.

His eyes widened as he beheld a seemingly young –naked! – woman dancing on the surface of the water. Th dance, however, wasn't what caught his attention. It was the way the water danced and flowed around her, as though it were merely an extention of her own body. It was breath-taking. _Art at its finest, yeah._

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The midnight haired girl flinched slightly, but not visibly, as she saw a person approaching. Her pearly eyes, with their nearly three-hundred-sixty-degree vision picked that person's chakra out of the darkness that surrounded her.

It wasn't tough, really. After being surrounded by the shadowy figures swaying in the nighttime breeze, it was easy to pick out the flash of light given off by another person. In all actuality, it nearly blinded her for a moment.

Hoping they would pass by her, she nearly panicked when the person stopped moving near the edge of the clearing; they would have been inconspicuously hidden had she not possessed the Byakugan.

The enormous chakra reserves of the person behind her almost made her falter. _I can't let them know that I know that they are here. I have to keep training as though I'm oblivious. If I let them see that I know they're here, then I'm sure they'll attack me. I have no back up, no one knows I'm here! _Her terrified mind screamed, while on the outside, all signs of internal debate were nonexistant.

The person took a step closer. Looked down, seemed to search for something at his feet. The person's posture changed, tensed. They moved another step closer, into the moonlight.

His blonde hair caught the moonlight ever so slightly before his face lit up. He seemed to have found what he had been looking for. He picked his foot up, then put it back down, slightly further forward, but not really a full step.

A crack sounded throughout the clearing. She knew he knew that she was aware that he was approaching. Giving up on making him leave, she allowed her hands to fall to her sides and crossed her arms over her chest before turning to look at the man standing at the edge of the bank.

His black cloak blew in the wind. As he stepped fully into the light, crimson clouds were caught in the gaze of the moon's beam. _Akatsuki! _The girl's thoughts immediately flew to the most feared organization of the ninja world.

She decided to play the ignorant part. "Can I help you, sir?" She asked in her most demure voice.

"No, not really. I was just wondering what a beautiful young lady like you would be doing out in the middle of nowhere at midnight, yeah." His eyes narrowed. She didn't think he believed her ignorance, but it was best to try to stick with it anyway.

"Well, I was just getting away from my family for a little while, venting, you know?" She was trying the exhausted-with-her-famliy act also.

"You know you shouldn't be out late. That's when all the dangerous ninja lurk in the woods, un." His cloak was once again billowing in the wind. His hair floated around his eyes in a fashion that covered one of them completely, while it left the other to shine with a startling blue light.

Her voice shook as she answered. "But, surely you wouldn't hurt me. I'm just an insignifigant gennin," she hoped her lie wasn't apparent in the way she moved during her training, "and could do no harm to anyone of your calibre. I can barely do harm to my own younger sister." This wasn't an entire lie. She hadn't been able to beat her sister in a spar a few years ago. Now, though, her abilities had improved and made her a chunnin, also ensuring her position as heiress of her clan.

"What is your name, girl?" His voice was a deep growl, demanding and forceful. Giving her no time to think up a lie, he repeated himself in a finalizing tone.

"Hinata, Stranger-san." She hoped he wouldn't press for a surname. Even wished such a thing on a star above her.

"You are from a clan, though. I can tell by your mannerisms. What is your full name." It wasn't really a question.

She sighed. "Hyuuga Hinata." Looking down at her feet, she wondered breifly if she would be able to run from him. Immediately throwing the thought away, she realized that he was directly behind her.

"Nice to meet you. I am Deidara, formerly of Iwagakure, yeah. Now, I am of the Akatsuki. Silly girl, you should have fled when you first saw my chakra signature approaching, un." His hand met the pressure point in her neck, and the last thing she saw was his face looking down at her as he caught her body before it fell.

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He looked down at the soft face of the woman he held in his arms. Breifly, he wondered at how her skin was so soft, yet she was a warrior, a ninja, a killer. He tossed it from his mind as he hefted her onto one of his clay creations and grabbed her clothes from the shore.

He hoped the Hyuuga Clan wouldn't find out about what he did until he could get permission from Leader-sama to keep her. If he couldn't, then he would just knock her out again and place her in her bed; when she woke the next morning, she would think the meeting was only a dream.

That was how he justified taking her back to the hideout with him that night. She was his pass back inside. _Hopefully, that is._ He thought, looking at the gaping hole that was still in the wall.

He slipped into the hideout and headed for the leader's door. He knocked quietly, knowing the man would hear him.

A disgruntled Pein looked out from the crack in the door when he opened it. Immediately, Deidara saw that he noticed the fact that:

a) Deidara was back, and he had ordered the blonde away from the hideout for the rest of the day and night,

b) He had brought a girl back,

and c) That girl happened to be mostly naked.

"The least you could have done was not leave her in her underclothes." The red haired man spoke.

Deidara frowned. "Well, I'd much rather put them on inside the hideout than have to sleep outside tonight, yeah. She's a Hyuuga, by the way."

Pein's rinnegan eyes widened as he fully opened the door to his room. His anger was palpable. "How did you capture her? I ordered you to leave, not to kidnap a sleeping girl from her village!"

"She was out training, no where within a few minutes walk from Konoha, un. She saw me with her Byakugan before I felt her presence! I figured either you wanted the Byakugan bad enough to keep her, or I could take her back and make her think it was all a dream, yeah."

The anger faded from the room, but to Deidara's surprise, Pein spoke immediately following his speech. "Keep her here. Don't take her back to Konoha. We need the Byakugan to keep the Akatsuki strong. We've lost far too many members already. The one condition that I put on her staying is that she is under your supervision, and if she escapes, we will recapture her and excecute you."

The warning caused ice to chill his blood. He had no idea what this girl was capable of! For all he knew, she was an ANBU. He had picked up on her lie of being a gennin, but he wasn't exactly sure what rank she was.

Suddenly, a thought struck him: What if this was an elaborate plot to find the Akatsuki hideout? He inwardly shuddered, but knew he could no longer back out of the deal. "Fine, un," he uttered, sealing his fate to the svelte girl in his arms.

"Good. We will test her skills in the morning. Now, you will return to your room, leave me alone, and let the rest of us get some sleep." The man's voice took on a mere hint of its previous anger, so Deidara felt he had better disappear quickly.

Carrying the small Hyuuga girl's body down the hall, he made his way through the twists and turns of the hideout before finally making it to his own room. There were few furnishings in the room, but what should have been taken up by the missing furniture was filled with clay sculptures. The statuettes were on all possible solid surfaces of the many shelves in the room.

There were two beds with a side table in between them, a large dresser with a mirror hanging above it, and shelves upon shelves of clay sculptures lining the walls.

He tossed the Hyuuga girl's body onto the spare bed after sweeping some unfinished figurines out of the way.

He grumbled quietly to himself about having to be the one who constantly watched her, then blinked when a voice spoke back to him. "Where am I?" It was a soft voice, somewhat melodic, and definitely close to panic.

He turned to find that the girl had awoken and sat on the bed with wide white eyes and pale, almost white skin; a look of understanding came upon her face when she spotted his cloak. Her eyes immediately dropped to the floor as her body followed, only stopped by the bed beneath her. "Nevermind." Her voice dropped to a pitch that he almost couldn't hear.

He turned his back to her once more, giving her outright disrespect by showing her that he knew she was no match for him. "You are in the Akatsuki base. I can't tell you anything more. You are to stay near me at all times, for your protection, yeah. Only Leader-sama knows of your presence here. If you leave my side, you will die, un." His voice was not cold, but neither was it friendly. He made sure to keep it neutral. He didn't want to frighten her so badly that she would run at the first chance she got, but neither did he want her to count him as a friend.

"Hai." She submissively allowed him to set the rules. To him, it seemed as though she were uncannily agreeable.

He turned back around and opened his mouth. Nothing passed by his lips, however. Eventually, he gave her an in a harsh tone: "Put some clothes on, will you?"

The girl 'eeped' in embarrassment and her face turned a bright, cherry red. She spluttered for a moment before finally making words pass through her vocal cords. "Ano, w-where are m-my clothes?" She quietly squeaked.

He almost missed her question in his observance of the way her face lit up. He rolled his eyes at her discomfiture. Turning away from her once more, he walked over to his own backpack, where he had placed her clothes for the run home. "Here," he said as he tossed them at her.

She ducked her head and hurridly slid her shirt over it, as though by hurrying she could erase the image of her body from his mind. Quickly doing the same with her pants, the Hyuuga girl stayed still, waiting for further orders.

He smirked at her acquiescent nature. "Now sleep, yeah." He watched as a look of horror crept into her eyes. "I'll be resting over here. Don't be freaked out if Tobi, that baka, comes in here early tomorrow morning and starts shouting, un." He intoned monotonously, remembering the reason he had been kicked out of the lair in the first place.

Walking to one of the two doors in his room, he slid it open and stepped into his bathroom. He slipped into his sleepwear and walked back through the doorway.

The girl's breathing was steadier, but he could tell she was not asleep. He knew that she would be up for most of the rest of the night, but he was sleepy, so he tried to think of a way to keep her from leaving while he was asleep.

Searching his room for an object that would make her stay, he noticed a leather-banded bracelet that he had stolen from a shop in one of the towns they had ransacked. He had thought to be able to sell it, and the others, to someone for some extra money, but Kakuzu had told him it was close to worthless; he had kept it as a memento of the attacked village and sold the others that were worth the money. Attached to the bracelet was a small silver bell that tinkled at even the slightest movement.

As a rule, shinobi did not move about in their sleep. Maybe he could tie the bracelet around her ankle? He nodded his head, sure that his plan would work well.

"Get up." He instructed her. She flinched into the bed and wearily sat up, looking no sleepier than she had before. "Now come here, yeah."

Her eyes widened even as her legs moved her toward the man whom she was sure would kill her.

He held out his hand with the bracelet dangling from his fingertips. "Tie this on your ankle. If you move even slightly out of that bed tonight, I will hear you and find a cell to lock you in, yeah."

Some of the tension left her face and she managed a fleeting, watery smile. She took the wristlet and attacked it to her ankle, then turned away from the mass-murderer and climbed into bed as he turned to do the same in the bed beside it.

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After his breathing had steadied and she was sure he was asleep, she clasped her hand around the bell to keep it from tinkling as she moved to sit up. In the fetal position, she tried to clear her head to think.

_I've been kidnapped by an Akatsuki member. My family thinks I'm still sick, at home, curled in my bed, inside my cover-cocoon. How long will it take them to realize I'm not there?_ She wondered, inanely hoping that her kidnapping would make Naruto realize how much he would miss her.

Thinking back on the moment the blonde man had given her the anklet, she shuddered. She had been so positive that he was going to kill her, or injure her in some way. But he had only looked down at her and given her a device to wear so that he could sleep and keep track of her at the same time.

She remembered smiling in relief that she was not going to die. She remembered seeing a look of bewilderment pass through his eyes, though he didn't actually show it. Hinata was simply good at reading the facial expressions of stoic men.

The midnight haired girl wondered at why he needed to keep track of her. Of course she was his prisoner, but why not just keep her in a cell, then? She carefully stopped her thoughts when they began to wander over why she was being kept in this man's room.

Instead, she moved her thoughts on to more morbid topics. How would her teammates, family, and friends react to her being gone? Would they care? Would they send out a search party like they did for Sasuke?

Tears slid slowly down her cheeks as she silently sobbed. Grasping the bell again, she lay down, burying her head in the strange smelling pillows and burrowing under the coarse covers.

_What will become of me?_ Her last thought before succumbing to the silent world of nightmares was as gruesome as the dreams themselves.

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The next morning, she was awoken by a storm of shouting and the small sound of a mini explosion.

The first thing that regestered in her mind was that her head hurt. She had woken several times during the night to find that it was still dark and her kidnapper was still resting lightly. Each time she awoke, she succumbed to the light, fitful sleep that seemed to be her only, pitiful respite from the day.

The second was that the bell around her ankle was rather loud whenever she moved.

Scrambling out from under the covers, she raised her arms in the Hyuuga style fighting position. She blinked at the sight before her.

Strangely enough, the unemotional blonde Akatsuki member from the night before was furiously yelling at a man wearing a swirled, orange mask with only one eye hole. That man's spikey, blue-ish black hair and Akatsuki cloak were slightly singed. He was also currently in a chokehold, courtesy of the blue-eyed man whom had kidnapped her.

This gave her a moment to fully analyze her captor. His grey-blue eyes were duller than Naruto's, but his bright shock of blonde hair was almost the exact same shade, though slightly darker. It matched his personality, to her mind. Of course the evil man was going to have duller, gloomier features than her love from Konoha.

She watched him slowly turn after the split second where her thoughts and observances had taken place.

"Ah, the little Hyuuga girl is no longer sleeping, yeah. Way to go, Tobi." Deidara hissed. "I was getting ready to head to the kitchen for some food, you idiot, but now I've got to drag her around." In his anger, his blue-grey eyes flashed to a darker color, similar to that of a storm cloud. He turned to the midnight haired young woman, smirking as her empty white eyes widened. "Breakfast, un." He growled.

"H-hai." She ducked her head as she approached, every other step causing the bell around her ankle to chime. Deidara looked ready to strangle the next person to annoy him, so she decided to keep her speech simple, and not use her soft, stuttering voice much. Her stutters had gotten on her family's nerves often when she was younger, so she resolved to try not to do so around the most feared criminals of the ninja world.

She waited for further instructions, and was rewarded by a glare and a motion to move out the door ahead of him. She complied, taking advantage of the fact that he was behind her to allow her look of dread to cross her face.

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He watched as she slowly made her way down the hallway, careful not to move to far out of his reach, while still being as far away as she could get from him. He gave the instructions as she moved and she immediately conformed to them. Deidara was almost positive that, had he ordered her to walk into a wall, she would have.

Her stiff gait and upright posture kept him from reaching out to guide her with his touch as he would have normally done. There was just something about the meek girl walking in front of him that made him want to touch her skin.

He mentally shook his head. He hadn't ever met a submissive woman in his life. It was just the neweness of the experience that had him messed up.

When he had woken that morning to find that she had been asleep, he wondered how he could have been wrong about her staying up most of the night. Surely she hadn't been that tired. He had knocked her out, so she had kind of rested some on the way to the Akatsuki lair, and she had been out training, so she couldn't have been that sleepy.

He had made note of that in his mind and decided he'd allow her the small comfort of sleep after kidnapping her for his petty reason of being allowed back into the hideout for the night and explaining nothing to her. He had decided he would allow her the small escape of sleep from her world of newly-created nightmares.

After Deidara had dressed and was in the middle of pulling his hair back in its usual ponytail, Tobi burst into the room and began to shout.

Deidara had pulled the last loop of the ponytail through and immediately threw one of his smaller, less dangerous bombs at the childish man. He hadn't wanted to blow another hole in the wall and have Leader-sama furious at him _again_.

So the bomb had hit Tobi and the orange-masked man had been singed enough that Deidara was able to get him in a choke hold.

That was when he had heard the tinkling of the bell on the anklet he had given the girl – Hinata, he remembered.

He had ordered Tobi from the room. Surprisingly enough, he obeyed. Deidara hoped he didn't go through the hideaway telling the other members that he had a girl in his room. _That would be just like the idiot. _His mind had growled, and so his words had come out also.

He had watched her bearing diminish in confidence at the sound of his anger, and he had wondered at what was running through her mind.

Now, he was still curious of that, but he had another problem. What was he going to do when the other Akatsuki in that hide out found out about her? It was his job to protect her, but he was the youngest, and most inexperianced member of the organization. Of course, if it came to a fight with the others, Pein and Konan would be on his side, so he would win the fight, but he didn't want it to come to that. His mind returned to the present when they arrived at the door to the kitchen. "Stop here, yeah." He ordered aloud, looking at the door rather than her.

She instantly halted, and the bell around her ankle chimed loudly, then became quiet. He nearly ran into her, but gracefully sidestepped her frozen body. He came face to face with a door, which he quietly slid open. Upon seeing that the room held no one, he placed his fingers on her shoulder and shoved her into the room.

He heard her breath leave her at once when he touched her. He winced faintly, forgetting his resolve not to frighten her by his touch. He could tell she was terrified of him. By her actions, he assumed that she thought she was going to die everytime he spoke to her.

"What do you want for breakfast, un?" He asked her, sitting her at the kitchen table and moving his hand away from her.

She shifted away from him as though she had been burnt, then looked up at him with an empty look. "What?" She asked softly.

"Food. What do you want to eat, yeah?" He emphasized the statement by gesturing to the kitchen.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat. Instead, a hacking cough escaped, which she covered with her jacket sleeve. When she finally caught her breath, her voice was hoarse. "Only water. I don't want to be a burden," she said keping her eyes glued to the table.

"Look at me." He ordered, his voice not as harsh as earlier that morning. "I wouldn't have asked if I felt you were a burden, un. Get it yourself if you want. But you do have to eat, or it'll be my tail on a plate if you die." He watched her eyes light slightly at his weak attempt at a joke, or what she must have thought was a joke. She had no idea he was telling the truth. "By the way, you sound sick. Have you been ill recently, hm?" He squinted at her and felt her forehead.

Her cheeks flushed a rosy color. "H-hai. I was out training for the first time in a week last night. I was trying to regain my strength after I woke up and was feeling better," she whispered, thoroughly ashamed.

At this, Deidara laughed. "As I said last night: silly girl." He couldn't stick to the masqurade any longer. He was no hard-core evil man. He had a life outside of his crimes. In fact, he was one of the nicer members of Akatsuki.

He had tried to keep the Hyuuga girl from finding out, so that she would not attempt to appeal to his nice side all the time (like some other prisoners he had been forced to take charge of).

He could see that he had stunned the younger girl with his mirth. "I'm actually not that bad of a person when I'm not on a mission from Leader-sama."

He watched her absorb that information. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were cold with determination, but her voice was still as soft as ever. "I-Is that why you kidnapped me? Because of a mission?"

He didn't answer immediately, but wanted to chose his words carefully. As the pause lengthened, he watched the determination fade from her eyes as worry entered them; he could almost hear her thoughts. _Did I say something wrong?_ Or maybe _What is he going to do to me?_

He shook his head slightly. "We need someone with the potential to become a major threat to strengthen our organization, yeah. Leader-sama always wanted a Byakugan user to fill that need. When I saw you last night, despite the fact that I didn't know what Hyuuga position you were in, be it branch or main, I knocked you out and brought you here, hm. Leader-sama was pleased. But the truth? I was not ordered to capture you."

He left out the reason he had been outside that late. He thought better than to tell her that it was a mere whim and hope that he brought her back only to gain entrance to his own room. She seemed to take his answer as the full truth though, as she only nodded and laid her forehead down on the cool marble surface of the table. "Grits?"

She nodded her head against the table and quietly added, "Cheese and butter?"

Deidara complied and fixed a pot of grits. Though not a traditional Japanese breakfast, and definitely not what she was used to, she had to admit, albeit quietly, that the blonde Akatsuki cooked well. He merely laughed at her again and denied it.

"I'm no chef. But I do like praise, hm," he smiled. He grew serious again when a thought struck him. "After breakfast, I have to take you to meet Leader-sama," he explained.

The girl's face lost all color. He wondered what ran through her mind at that moment. "Are you going to be okay, hm? I won't leave the room, though that won't be any comfort, seeing as we're all the bad guys here, eh?"

Her eyes were shadowed as she bent her head, staring into the space under the table. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He wanted to cheer her up.

It was just guilt, that was all. He merely wanted to make up to her what he had caused her to lose. His conscience was acting up again. _Stupid conscience._

She brought her eyes back to his face and plastered a clearly fake smile on her ghostly pale face. "I will be fine." Clearly a lie, but he was willing to bet that she wanted to seem strong to an almost infinitely strong organization.

He nodded silently and laid their dishes in the sink before leading the way to the designated meeting room, the faint tinkling of a bell sounding behind him.

**(A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Mysterious Captivation! Review if you'd like; I love feedback. Tell me what I can improve, what you loved, whatever! **


	2. The Pain

**(A/N: Tada! A new chapter! I'm getting better at this whole keeping-on-schedule thing. This time, I am keeping ahead of the game and giving myself enough time to type up the chapters in between. Since it's finally Christmas break and I'll have more free time, I'll post the next chapter in two weeks instead of three. [So I'll have it out on the first of the new year!] I'm so excited for this story cause I actually know where it's going, unlike the other chapter stories I've come up with. This one is all planned out. Thanks to MyFinalFantasy, the outline of the story is already there and I even know how it's gonna end [for the most part]. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Cpativation: Chapter 2

Deidara opened the door to the meeting room and waited for her to pass through it; he followed behind her and shut the door. Pein spoke the moment it clicked against the door frame and the bell around her ankle stood silent. "What is your shinobi rank?" He demanded of the meek girl before him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted. "Your real one. I know you are not the gennin you say you are. Do not lie to me." He growled.

She sighed and bent her head to look at her feet. "Chunnin, Leader-sama." She whispered.

Deidara could barely hear the words that left her mouth, but he knew them to be truth by the resigned way she held her body.

"How proficient are you with the Hyuuga style?" His question shocked Deidara. The blonde knew that all Hyuuga used the same style fighting techniques, but all the main branch members were supposed to have mastered them by the time they ranked chunnin. What had prompted that inquiry?

He watched the girl's face turn crimson as she spluttered out an answer in a petrified voice. "Not very."

Pein's eyes widened as he moved to glare fiercely at Deidara. "You did not tell me you kidnapped their heiress."

Said man's eyes widened as he moved to look at the girl he had kidnapped. "I was not aware of it, either." He left the sentence at that, knowing the ever observant Pein would catch the question in it.

"The only main branch member of the Hyuuga not to have mastered their fighting style is their heiress. She has a different style of combat."

Deidara thought back to the art of her dancing on the water the night before. Suddenly, what she was doing made sense, and matched up with her claim to be training. "A very artistic style," he claimed absentmindedly.

Pein smirked as though he knew what had prompted the ex-Iwa nin to kidnap her. "You will be the one battling her to test her skills. Let's hope that she is as powerful as you seem to think she is.

"You are not to kill her, nor fatally wound her. Do nothing to her eyes, and do not destroy any more of my walls or Kakuzu will have a fit. You know he doesn't like having to come all the way down here just to spend money. And I don't like having to deal with him when he's angry." His emotionless sentence included a refrence to the Akatsuki's stingy money manager.

Continuing, he spoke to Hinata. "If you kill Deidara in this fight, we will take you back home and leave your family alone for the rest of your life. Only for this match will we allow this. If you kill him or anyone of us at any other time, we will throw you in a cell and keep you **there** for the rest of your miserable life."

Hinata visibly trembled as Pein led the way out the door to an inner courtyard. "If you try to flee, you will be captured and imprisoned." He warned impassively as he walked in front of the Hyuuga and Deidara.

Hinata stood nervously in the court. It was clear to those who were present that she had never before faced off against an Akatsuki member. Pein called a starting shout and sat back to observe her movements.

Neither ninja moved at first, but as Deidara realized she was waiting to go on the defense, he spoke. "While it's true that you should always wait for the opponent to make the first move, if your adversary is stronger than you and you are aware of it, then you should strike first."

Hinata seemed surprised that he was offering her advice. He was her enemy after all. _So why did I just give her tips on how to fight me?_ A voice at the back of his mind questioned. Deidara pushed the thought away. It was a simple tip to keep her alive for the betterment of Akatsuki, that was all.

At first, she simply nodded, but her eyes widened as she seemed to hold her breath. Soon, she was wracked with a hacking cough, forcing her to shut her eyes. She seemed fearful that Deidara would attack while she was incapable of defending herself, but she needn't have worried. He wasn't that cruel of a person, especially not in training.

When he didn't attack, Hinata seemed to gain a new determination. She disappeared from sight with a tinkle of the bell and a slight pant as she activated her Byakugan and masked her chakra signature. Deidara remained calm, closed his eyes, and relied on his hearing to sense her because he couldn't see her.

She wasn't moving, so he couldn't hear her, but she had to move to approach him. He stayed in the open only because Pein was testing her strength. If he hid, then how would she be able to hit him? _Plus, she has the Byakugan, so hiding wouldn't help me anyway._

His head whiped to the side as he heard an inhuman noise. Finding himself surrounded by tiny bullets of water, he looked for the source.

The Hyuuga girl, with her Byakugan flaring, stood off to the side of the clearing with her hands raised. She glared at him with pupil-less eyes and trembled slightly. He figured it was the first time she had ever glowered down an enemy.

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She glared at the blonde man across the courtyard from her. She knew she was no match for him, and neither were her water bullets, but she could still give her all in the battle. She wondered why he hadn't attacked at her moment of weakness as she tried to keep her breathing under control.

She didn't want the Akatsuki to know her as the one who gave up, the coward, like so many of her friends back in Konoha did. Hinata took a half step forward on the leg without the bell, lowered her arms, and sent a cascade of bullets raining down on the body of the ex-Iwa nin.

It disappeared in a puff of smoke as a wooden board took his place. She leapt backward as he appeared before her in a flash of yellow.

He was close enough that she could see the blue flecks in his grey eyes. She coughed again, accidently bringing her water weapon and hitting her captor in the shoulder. Her surprise made her already precarious balance shift so that she fell backward.

Her pearl-like eyes followed the blonde man as he moved a hand to grasp his shoulder wound. The water had cut raggedly through his skin and left a hole underneath his hand. She gasped when he pulled his hand away and shuddered, his face distorted into a disgusted grimace.

_He's going to kill me now. I just know it. Look at his face! He's furious and disgusted with me._ Her thoughts would have continued had Pein not laughed darkly and called time.

"Good job, Hyuuga girl. You've injured him." The girl's eyes opened wide as she sat slightly straighter, gaining a slight confidence at being praised by one of the most powerful ninja in the world. He continued, "But you are far from the skilled ninja you should be. It is pitiful to be so surprised by the fact that you hit Deidara that you fell backward, thus risking your life. Such an amateur mistake."

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Deidara watched her as she seemed to fold in on herself. She had seemed to be confident as Pein had praised her, but when he called her actions pitiful, her mistake that of a beginner, she seemed to wilt.

His shoulder seriously hurt, though. As his hands had tasted the blood, he grimaced. Looking down upon the wound, he saw that there was a deep hole that his hand had previously been covering.

His eyes rose sharply upon hearing the words that the leader uttered next. "Hyuuga, do know medical ninjutsu?"

"H-hai, I do." She stuttered. She must have been uncomfortable around the red haired man; she had laughed at Deidara earlier that morning, but now there was no hint of the previous friendliness she had shown him.

"You are to heal Deidara's shoulder, then. Remember what I said earlier: if you kill him, or injure your captor in any way, you will be jailed for the rest of your life." That said, the myserious leader left without another sound.

He watched as the Hyuuga girl's face fell into a look of mortal terror. She turned back to him. "I apologize for injuring you, Deidara-san," she whispered. She must have felt guilty for hurting him and been worried that her injuring him had changed their already precarious relationship as captor and captive.

She was apologizing? She had put up a good fight; he was her enemy; she should have been trying to do more than just kill him. "No worries, yeah." He attempted a smile, but it ended up as more of a contorted grimace.

At his pained look, she hesitantly approached. Reaching out her hand to place it on his shoulder, she spoke softly. "Byuakugan."

The veins in her eyes lifted as her sight range increased. She scanned the internal damage her water bullet had done. Finding that the wound was deep, but not deadly, she spoke again. "I can bring the skin back together so it will stop bleeding, but I cannot heal the internal damage that has been done. It is beyond my medical capabilities."

She seemed so willing to do what was ordered of her. Was she not a loyal leaf ninja? Or could she just be frightened by her Akatsuki captors? Deidara was willing to bet that it was his second guess that would have hit the mark. She didn't look like she was capable of betraying her home village.

Then again, neither had Itachi.

_Think of the devil, and he shall appear._ Deidara mentally groaned as the man opened the door and stepped into the courtyard.

The other man's red eyes roamed about the clearing before they rested upon Deidara and the Hyuuga girl.

"What is the Hyuuga heiress doing in Akatsuki territory?" He spoke, drawing said girl's attention.

In return, she squeaked and turned a dark red. "I kidnapped her, un." Deidara spoke, taking pity on her, keeping her from having to answer. She seemed especially uncomfortable around the ex-Konoha ninja. Maybe even more so than around Leader-sama

"Why?" Itachi's voice was empty of emotion, yet it seemed to the blonde as if his curiosity had been piqued.

"Because we need her to strengthen Akatsuki. Her skills will be handy for espianoge, yeah. She is yet still young and her loyalty to Konoha will change after time. She is impressionable. And by fright, we can keep her here without any worry of her escape, un." Deidara responded with a face that clearly wondered why Itachi was even talking to him. The answer to the raven haired man's question was obvious, and the blonde made sure his voice coveyed it.

"So you kidnapped the weakest Hyuuga to make us stronger? The shyest one who never argues? The terrified one who can't even complete a mission properly?" Itachi's own voice gave hint to nothing but disdain for the explosion specialist and – possibly – the girl in question, but Deidara wasn't sure. It could have just been him.

"Of course, yeah. She is the one whom we can best train, yeah. True, she is not the youngest, but she is the most impressionable, as I said before, un. We can work the fear out of her. We can train her to be stronger. And shyness is not an issue. It'll go away eventually." Deidara defended her simply because he wanted Itachi to see **a** reason, if not **the** reason, that he kidnapped the Hyuuga.

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All the while they argued, Hinata stood on the sidelines, silently healing Deidara's shoulder as best she could.

She listened as a man from her own village basically proclaimed her useless. Despite the fact that he was a criminal, his accusations stung.

_He's right. I am useless._ She thought dismally, letting her hand fall to her side after closing the blonde man's wound. _I can't even heal a wound properly. _She allowed her shoulders to hunch as her pride at helping someone fled away.

When he began to support her, however, she tensed. What was he getting at? Was he trying to help her or make things worse? Surely he wasn't helping her situation by trying to make her out to be stronger than she was. She would just prove him wrong after many training sessions where she would not grow stronger or more outgoing.

She would fail this ex-Iwa missing nin as she had failed everyone else in her life.

"And if she doesn't get stronger? If she stays weak for the rest of her life?" The Uchiha questioned as though reading her thoughts.

She almost held her breath waiting for the blonde's answer. "Then we can offer a ransom for her. I'm sure Kakuzu would love that, and we'd have more funds. It would force Konoha to deal with criminals, thereby inciting other villages to anger."

Hinata thought on this. Maybe she could fake her way into being sent home? She quickly pushed the thought from her mind. They would see right through her if she did. She would just have to accept the fact that they would train her and try to become one of the members.

Though there was no way she would fully join the organization, she would act as though she would. That way she could gather information. Information could be used against them. She would finally be useful!

She smiled invisibly. That would be her self-given mission. If she could get to know the blonde man –Deidara – then maybe she could gain his trust. If she could gain his trust, then she could get information on Akatsuki that she could report to Konoha if – _when_, she assured herself – she returned home.

However, she wondered why he was standing up for her. She made a note in her mind to ask him after she gained his trust.

She looked up into the sky, waiting for the conversation between the two S-ranked ninja to end.

The back of a hand appeared in her vision after a few moments. The shadow it cast made her blink in curiosity for a moment before she realized it was stretched out to her. To help her up? She tilted her head in confusion.

Deidara stood at the other end of the hand. "You kind of spaced out, yeah. Itachi left a little while ago. He said I had a lot of work to do. I just told him that I at least was doing something productive."

Hinata blinked up at him. "Ano, arigatou?" She grasped his hand and shrieked as something wet slid across her palm.

She let go of his hand while she was half-way off the ground and fell backwards onto her botttom. The bell on her ankle loudly protested the jarring sensation. She looked back at his hand with wide eyes as it licked the lips on his palm. She looked up to his face to see his reaction.

To her surprise, he jerked his hands behind his back with a slight pink tinge to his cheeks. "Sorry, un. I forgot to tell you about my hands." He said sheepishly.

She blinked owlishly up at him, glancing from his hands to his face. Both ninja were uncomfortable, and the silence was beginning to grow awkward. "Come on, let's get back inside. yeah." He said finally, gesturing toward the door nearby. This time, he didn't offer her his hand.

She wondered if he was self-conscious about his hands the same way she was about her entire persona. She shook her head. S-class ninja weren't self-conscious. They couldn't afford to be.

The Hyuuga girl stood and followed the blonde man silently inside. She cast about for some way to end the awkward silence, knowing he was probably too powerful to care. "Is your shoulder okay?" She eventually blurted out in her unsure, whisper of a voice.

"It will be. It's nice not to have blood trickling down my arm. Blood tastes disgusting." He shuddered, and suddenly the look on his face when he placed his palm on his wound made sense to her. She wanted to know why he had mouths on his palms, but didn't have the mettle to ask him.

"I'm glad." She sincerely stated. It hadn't been her choice to become a ninja. It was just something that her clan did, and she also was expected to do. She hated to injure people. Her real skill had lain in healing, but her family hadn't allowed her to pursue that career.

Of course, she was the healer of team ten, but she only knew the basics, like how to stop a wound from bleeding. "I'm sorry that I don't know more." She couldn't deny that it was a relief that he was not angry with her. She truly was glad that her healing had been of some use.

"Nah, that's fine. I can make due with an injured arm. I know you didn't mean it." He made the S-ranked missing nin version of puppy dog eyes at her, as though trying to lighten the sting of Pein's earlier words.

She nodded, smiling slightly at him. He was so similar to Naruto… She caught herself at that thought, though. The man before her was a criminal, part of one of the most powerful organizations in the ninja world, and he was the bad guy. He couldn't be like Naruto.

Naruto represented all her hopes. Deidara represented the end of them.

The Kyuubi container was bright, fun, playful. Deidara was dark, frightening, yet he also seemed to possess a playful side. Was it possible that, had he not defected from his village, Deidara could have been a 'Naruto' to a girl from Iwa?

The thought came to her mind from nowhere and stopped her in her tracks, along with the jingling of her bell. It made her take a good look at the back of the man who was confidently walking down the dimly lit corridors of a hideout of a bunch of criminals.

Personalities barred, the two men were extremely similar. The same self-assured gait. The same floppy blonde hair. The same need to cheer up those around them. The same muscular build…

She cut off her thoughts and forced herself to continue walking. She was getting left behind, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen to her while she was in the midst of an organization of powerful shinobi.

She was within two arms lengths of her escort when she bumped into someone else. Half a second later, she was thrown backward into a wall with a shriek of protest from her bell. She slid down to the ground, the breath knocked out of her, and panted for air with a cough in the settling dust.

Immediately, Deidara turned around and slamed whomever had attacked her into the nearest wall. He turned to move closer, as though to pin the person down, but paused upon the sight of a man bigger than he.

"What do you think you're doing, pipsqueak?" A muscular, blue skinned, shark-like man growled in a gravelly voice. His darker blue hair and – gills? – caught Hinata off guard for a moment.

"The girl is mine, Hoshigaki, yeah." Deidara growled fiercely back at him, backing away slightly to allow the man room to stand once more while effectively placing himself between the blue man and the Hyuuga girl.

He acted as though he _owned_ Hinata, which both of them knew not to be true. Why did he phrase his statement that way?

The yellow eyed man – Kisame Hoshigaki, she remembered from the Bingo Books – laughed deeply. "Finally got you a girl who won't mock you for–"

Kisame was interrupted as Deidara spat, "She's a new recruit for the organization, un. She's a Hyuuga from the main branch with full control over her Byakugan, mm. She's mine _to protect._" His emphasis was placed on the final two words he spoke. It was as though he knew how Kisame would finish his sentence. "I would have figured that Tobi would have told everyone about her already, yeah." Hinata looked at Deidara curiously, wondering what he didn't want Kisame to say.

"Leader-sama gave him a mission early this morning. He figured that since you were coming back today, it was best to get rid of him for a little while." Kisame snorted. "I don't see why. You almost blew another hole in the wall anyway. All the little freak wanted was to say goodbye to his partner." He mocked the both the blonde and the orange-masked man at the same time. "How did you get back in here last night anyway? I thought Leader-sama told you to take a hike?"

"Well, he must have changed his mind, cause I got back in, mm." The blonde glared at the older man before him. At least, Hinata thought Kisame was older.

The blue-skinned man opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when Deidara reached down to grab Hinata's wrist and pull her up. He caught himself just before touching her and let her make the first move. She lightly grasped only his fingers and allowed him to help her. "We've got to go, sharkman." The blonde smirked and pushed past him.

Hinata weakly waved over her shoulder, wanting to make a good impression so she wouldn't have as many enemies in Akatsuki. She didn't really even want one of them.

"Don't mess with him. He's just trying to make trouble because he's Itachi's partner. I hate the Uchiha, and the feeling is mutual. So, Kisame hates my guts too, mm. Not that any of us are close to begin with." Deidara explained off-handedly. He grew serious as he continued, though. "Now that he knows you're associating with me, he'll probably hate you, too, yeah. Be careful from now on, and stick close to me." The blonde warned her.

Hinata trembled slightly and nodded as she moved closer to the mass murder, her only protection from the other Akatsukis. It was a frightening thought.

A sudden wave of homesickness hit her. She missed the security that her home, the village, her friends, the Hokage, and her family gave her. She had never feared for her life for longer than a few hours.

Now she was living in fear. Although he seemed genuinely worried for her, he could turn on her. She could sense an undercurrent of _something_ in this man who seemed so caring. His ability to mask his evil nature was disconcerting. This man to whom she was trusting her life could turn on her just as easily as he turned on his village. She could be killed by a single word of the leader, a single hit by any of these men.

The thought almost made her pause, except for the recollection of what had just happened when she kept more than an arm length away. Fear made her stay close, but also pushed her away.

She would have to get over her fear if she was planning to gain his trust. She had a long, tough road ahead of her.

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His shoulder hurt. It was painful to open a wound that had been healed just minutes before. He hoped his charge wouldn't notice that all her previous work had been for nothing and that she wouldn't take advantage of his handicap. It wasn't like it was a huge problem, but he hoped she wouldn't attempt to figure that out the hard way.

Just because he was a hardened criminal didn't mean that he didn't feel pain. He did; unlike amateur ninja, he knew how to hide his pain.

He could feel the blood trickling slowly down his arm even as he attempted to drive his thoughts in a different direction.

He concentrated on wondering what the Hyuuga girl was thinking about. She was quiet, but she always seemed that way. At least, for the days he had known her.

Now, though, she seemed to be lost in her thoughts. He knew she didn't trust him – honestly, he didn't blame her: she shouldn't – but he wanted to ask her what she was thinking about. She probably wouldn't tell him.

She was most likely scared out of her mind, and it was all his fault… _Stupid conscience._

"So how did you sleep last night, un?" He questioned, trying to gauge her reaction.

She blinked at him with an empty expression, as though she hadn't heard him. She hesitated for a moment, as though debating with herself, then opened her mouth. "I'm sorry. Can you repeat that; I didn't hear you."

He smiled at her. It seemed she wasn't completely terrified of him, at least. Probably scared, but not so much so that she wouldn't talk to him. His smile faded when he saw that she had caught sight of the blood.

"You've hurt yourself again," she stated. He wondered if she suspected how, but his wonder ceased at her next statement. "It was when you hit Hoshigaki-san, wasn't it?"

He looked to the ground, almost surprised that she wasn't angry. But then, he couldn't picture the little mouse before him irate. "Hai, it was. But it's nothing to worry about, mm."

"Be still for a moment; I'll heal it again. I'm sorry that I didn't heal it sufficiently before." Her apology shocked him for a moment. He had no idea how low her self confidence was. She thought it was her fault that he was bleeding again.

He stopped walking and turned to face her. "It's not your fault. You did fine; I just went and screwed it up, yeah." He smiled as she looked into his eyes, taken aback, without tilting her head upward. The grin faded as he realized he was only two or three inches taller than her. He wasn't very muscular like Kisame, or tall like Kakuzu. He didn't have much of an intimidation factor, other than his reputation and his hands.

She merely raised her hand to his shoulder and concentrated her healing chakra in the place where her bullet had hit him, ignorant of his thoughts.

A tickling sensation ran up his arm as his skin spread over the crimson blood and muscle below it. He shivered and slid his gaze to a nearby door. It had been where they were headed.

The lounge. He had wanted to find a way to distract her so that he could make sure that there was no one in there before they entered. If there was someone, they would head to the kitchen for lunch. If not, he could sculpt and she could… do something else.

He surreptitiously looked inside and smirked when he saw that there was no one there.

"I'm finished." Her quiet voice broke through his thoughts as the tickling sensation left his shoulder.

He smiled at her in return for healing his shoulder. "Come on, this room on the left is the lounge. We're gonna hang out here for a while." Hinata looked slightly surprised that she was being allowed free time. "I've got work to do, so you can do…" He paused, searching for a word. "…whatever you do in your free time, yeah." He finished lamely.

Hinata's face twisted in confusion. "What would you like me to do?"

"Whatever. Draw, read, paint, I don't care, mm. Just don't bother me while I work." He said. Harsh, he knew, but necessary. He needed to keep her out of his way so he could sculpt.

Her eyes seemed to light up, however, despite his harsh ending. "D-did you say paint?" She questioned quietly, shyly.

He could see that he had found something she liked. "Yes, mm. You can paint. There's an easel in the corner with supplies on it. Do what you want with it, yeah." He was rewarded with a wary grin as he led the way into the room.

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The chocolate haired ninja knocked on the door of the room, waiting for an answer. When he received none, he merely slid the door open and walked into the room. "You can't stay moping around in bed forever, Hinata-sama," he sighed. "I know you're not sick anymore, because you ate all your dinner last night."

Upon getting no reply, the chocolate haired Hyuuga rolled his pupil-less eyes and left to find the clan leader.

Telling the man what he knew, he allowed Hiashi to chastise the cocoon of covers that was Hinata. The Hyuuga clan leader gave a long winded speech on laziness, then paused. He heard no whimpering, no tears, not even any breathing.

He looked at his nephew for a moment before walking stiffly over to the covers to untangle them.

They were empty.

A look of pure fear crossed both of the stoic men's faces before the nodded to one another and made their way quickly to the Hokage's office.

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Hinata headed straight for the corner where the easel was located. She turned it so that it was facing the room, with her back to the corner so that she could see anyone approach her. She was a smart girl, though he would be the only one to come near her as long as he had a say in the situation.

After he had finished his sculpting, his work to prepare himself for future battles, he led her to the kitchen for dinner, then they both turned in early.

Days began to pick up a pattern after that. In the mornings, he would take her to the courtyard and train, sometimes pushing her harshly, but never going too far past her limit. Some days, they would quit early because of her persisting cough and lack of medicine; other days, they would train for hours.

He could tell she was still frightened of him. Heck, he would think there was something wrong if she wasn't. But he could also tell that she was becoming more comfortable in the atmosphere of Akatsuki.

After training, he took her back to his room so they could both shower. She had been given an extra pair of his clothes because he was the smallest member of Akatsuki, the one closest to her in height.

While she was in the shower, he sculpted to pass the time. When both were clean, they headed to the kitchen for lunch. Then, they spent the remainder of the day in the lounge, her painting and him sculpting.

Dinner was not always the same. Sometimes, Itachi and Kisame would show up, other times there would be no one but Hinata and himself. Only a few times had they been graced with the presence of the female member of Akatsuki, and Pein never came down at all.

The first night she had dinner with Akatsuki, she had probably been scared out of her mind. Deidara had just finished cooking for them when Itachi and a blue haired maiden walked into the room.

He had watched Hinata shrink into the seat, but brighten ever so slightly at the fact that she was not the only female in the Akatsuki.

The blue haired woman had sat at the table across from her. Itachi had merely taken some food from Deidara and left, frowning.

The blonde man had frowned in return, mumbling under his breath. He then walked to the table and sat beside Hinata, not missing how she moved to make more room between them. "This is Konan-san, Leader-sama's partner." He had introduced the blue haired woman.

"I-It's a pleasure to m-meet you, Konan-san." She had said.

The steely glare that had locked onto his charge was enough to shut her up and frighten her for the rest of the night.

Never had Deidara heard a ninja toss as much in their sleep in his entire life as the night that Konan had frightened Hinata.

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Two weeks after she had been kidnapped, Hinata looked down upon the easel in the lounge and found her paints and brushes located where they normally were. Still, she warily sat before the canvas she had lately been working on as she allowed her mind to wander to her own problems.

That day, training had been particularly hard, but she was getting better. Slowly but surely, her skills were improving. She marvled at that fact for a moment, relishing the fact that she could feel Deidara letting her into his life more and more as time passed.

She was gaining his trust, bit by miniscule bit. Although that wasn't saying much, she still treasured the feeling of achievement, especially knowing her suffering would help her village.

She picked up her paintbrush, mindlessly moving it against the canvas. Her brush continued to shape lines, colors, bits of a picture she had started a week before. It was beginning to come together, but she wasn't sure what it was yet.

The reprieve from her life was good enough not to care too much about what exactly she was painting. She could finally allow her mind to wander while the picture formed itself.

Her thoughts were scrambled, and she needed a way to order them. Making a list usually helped her when she was confused, so she allowed her thoughts to organize into one.

This man who kidnapped her was frightening.

He was kind and protected her, but he was affiliated with the Akatsuki.

There was something sinister lurking beneath his upbeat persona.

He was an S-class criminal, possessing power beyond her imagination.

He wanted her to become a part of their organization because they were losing power.

She was trapped in the organization of the most powerful ninja in the world.

She had no hope of escape.

Rescue was unlikely, because her family didn't know whom she'd been kidnapped by.

She almost broke down and cried at her last realization. Instead, she decided to stop thinking and focus on her painting, as she had done for the past few weeks. Looking to the canvas before her, a few tears managed to slip down her cheeks as she closed her eyes.

She had forest full of animals. A deer with chocolate brown, half lidded eyes stared back at her, beside a butterfly and a pig with ice blue eyes. A small puppy stood near a chibi beetle at the center of the picture. Off to the left, a brown-furred wolf with pearly eyes stood with a pink and brown dragon and a green turtle. The grass in front of the puppy and beetle had an orange fox with bright blue eyes and a pink kitten with jade green eyes. Each animal resembled one of her friends back in Konoha. She hadn't thought while she painted, and each one's resemblance of her friends was unconscious.

She wanted to lay down in her bed at home and cry herself to sleep over the thought of them. Especially the fox. _Naruto. _She winced as the thought passed her mind that she might never see him again, and she hadn't even told him of her feelings! That thought destroyed her resolve, and sobs wracked her body, along with coughs, as she broke down and cried.

Someone walked over to her as she fell from her chair, unwilling to hold herself up. She turned away from them in shame, but was lifted into a pair of arms. Carefully, she was carried from the room.

She was exhausted, and soon after her tears, she fell into the deep, empty abyss of sleep.

**(A/N: So… How did you like it? Leave a review and let me know so I can change something if I need to and keep what you like. ^^ Hope you enjoyed the second installment of Mysterious Captivation!)**


	3. The Discovery

**(A/N: So, it turns out that I didn't have much time to type over vacation. But, I'm going to post this chapter anyway because I said I would. Not much to say right now. Enjoy the chapter, and let me know if something doesn't make sense.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 3

He looked up from his work at the sound of a sniffle. What met his eyes was the Hyuuga girl with a tear falling down her cheek.

What she did next, though, surprised him even more. She seemed to crumble in on herself with tears and coughs.

He watched as she fell from the stool in front of the easel before he could catch her. Standing, he ran to her side. "What's wrong, yeah?" he demanded.

Her only response was to turn away, to hide her face. He lifted her off the ground and headed to the door. He looked outside the room to make sure no one was there to witness, then carried her back to his room as there was no one there.

All the while, she cried in his arms. She must have tired herself out, or not been completely well, for she fell asleep in his arms.

He lay her gently on the bed he had given to her and then sat on his own. He wondered what had happened to trigger such an emotional response from her.

From what he had seen, she was a calm, collected young woman. For her to have an emotional break down seemed out of character for her.

"Nee-chan! Naruto-kun!" Her voice weakly exclaimed from where he had lain her. He looked over to see her arm stretched out. She seemed slightly panicked, so he walked over to her and touched her outstretched hand.

She latched onto his arm as though it would save her life. Her face lost its worried look, and she seemed to settle down.

He had no intent of waking her, but he didn't want to stand up and watch her while she slept, so he carefully scooted her to the opposite side of the bed and sat beside her.

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She woke slowly, which was strange, because she didn't remember going to sleep. The first thought that registered in her mind was that she was warm. The second, that she was comfortable. Her right side was warmer, so she cuddled closer to her right, into her pillow.

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Deidara smirked as she curled up closer to his side. She had been asleep for the better part of an hour, and he had sat beside her the entire time. Before meeting her, he would have assumed that sitting by someone and waiting for them to wake up was dull, but now he found that it was interesting. It gave him time to think.

It had been a while since he'd had time to himself. He was constantly worrying about keeping the Hyuuga girl under surveillance. He was starting to pick up on her mannerisms. He knew he was letting her get too close to him, but he couldn't help it. He'd never had a girl who accepted his hands for what they were. Most turned away from him in disgust, but she didn't.

It seemed to him that she was tolerant, so he wondered what had set her off in the lounge. He hadn't even thought to look at her painting. Breifly, he wondered what she had painted, and if it had triggered her pain-filled response.

Suddenly, she stirred once more against him. His eyes softened as he looked down at her prone form. A whispered name quietly fell from her lips. "Naruto-kun."

He looked away in something akin to disgust. _How could she love that monster of a jinchuriki?_ He had heard her mention that boy's name several times when she thought he couldn't hear her. How could she love a monster?

She raised her head and looked down to find her hand still clutching an arm. He smirked almost cruelly as her face reddened and she instantly let go of him, dragging his thoughts back to earth.

She almost fell off the bed in her attempt to scramble away from him. Quietly, he questioned her. "Are you okay, mm?"

She silently shook her head, but showed no intention of elaborating. "What made you break down like that?" He tried to elict a response from her, but she wasn't willing to give a response. He sighed. "I won't press you for details, but perhaps we should find you something else to spend your time on, hm."

He watched as she nodded her head furiously, then looked up to see his reaction. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be a bother, but I don't think I can paint anymore." She whispered.

"Its okay. I'm the one who offered, yeah. What do you like to do other than paint, hm?" He was intent on finding something less painful for her to do.

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She debated with herself for several seconds on how to answer him before finally admitting the truth. "I like to sculpt," she answered. She wondered if he knew that sometimes, when she wasn't thinking, she looked longingly over at him while he worked.

He sculpted every day, continually creating new creatures and improving old ones. Even without activating her Byakugan, she knew that he imbued each sculpture with chakra and stored them in a secret, safe place.

Hinata wondered if she would be punished for assuming that he would allow her to work with him. She inwardly flinched at the possibility, but hoped for the other option. He might let her sculpt with him.

"You like to sculpt, huh?" He said, allowing sarcasm to drip off his words. "Are you sure? You just don't want to be a bother." He finished angrily. She could tell he was about to lecture her, but then he must have seen the genuine surprise that entered her eyes. "You do like sculpting, yeah. I knew I made the right choice."

Her brows furrowed as she wondered what he meant. She merely shook her head slightly to dislodge the curiosities.

Deidara stood suddenly from the bed and walked toward her. "Come on, let's go find you some clay to work with, hm." He brought her to the lounge, but instead of leading her to his corner, he took her to a closet hidden in a small alcove.

He opened the door and pulled down a small square of clay. She stared at it, puzzled, until he held it out to her. Hesitantly, she took it from him. "Go to the table and sculpt to your hearts content, yeah. Or til dinner. Which ever comes first, mm." He grinned at her.

She thanked him quietly and moved to the area he designated for her. She was careful to focus on her work this time, slowly beginning to mold a clay dove.

His voice startled her when he spoke. "We'll be late for dinner if we don't hurry, yeah! I can't believe I let time fly like that."

She giggled slightly at his pun. Both ninja had been crafting birds.

He turned at her giggle, genuinely confused looking, but soon caught the accidental pun. He shook his head. "Let's go, mm." He chuckled.

She stood gracefully and followed him to the kitchen to wash her hands.

She entered the kitchen behind Deidara andstopped when he froze. Sitting at the table were Konan and Pein. He had yet to show up at a single dinner. _What makes this dinner any different?_ She wondered silently.

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Deidara looked at the table's occupants strangely. _What is Leader-sama doing at the dinner table?_ His thoughts unknowingly mirroring Hinata's.

"Why, hello Deidara and captive." Pein greeted harshly. "Finally deciding to join us for dinner? Tonight was Itachi's turn to cook."

His small talk was only a prelude. Soon, Deidara knew, they were going to hear the real reason that Pein had left his rooms to enter the social setting.

As they entered the kitchen further, they found Itachi at the stove. He was fuming at the fact that he had to cook, as usual. That man hated cooking almost as much as he hated Deidara.

_And that's saying something._ When dinner was placed around the table, Deidara and Hinata hesitantly sat at the edge, knowing better than to sit close to Pein and Konan.

As they sat, Pein began to speak. "I'm sending you on a mission-"

"I have to watch over the captive!" Deidara vehemently interrupted his leader, without thought to his own safety.

"That is why I'm giving her over to Itachi to care for while you're gone. It will be him that is punished for what she does wrong in your absense." The leader of the organization glanced at Hinata sideways. "I will discuss your mission later. You will leave immediately after breifing."

Deidara looked at the Hyuuga girl to gauge her reaction. She paled and seemed to instantly be more on-edge than she had been for a week.

Itachi was much calmer about the situation, though. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of your hostage." His emotionless voice was cool, yet somehow threatening.

Deidara's eyes narrowed as he moved to stand. "If you harm one hair on her head-" He began, but was interrupted by the Akatsuki leader.

"Itachi will not harm her becase she is an Akatsuki member in training, and also worth a hefty ransom. She will be perfectly fine without you holding her hand all day long."

"You are forming an unhealthy attachment to her temporary entrance into our organization. She needs to stay away from you for several days. Plus, we need your bombing expertise for this mission. Two birds with one stone." Konan gave reason to Pein's forceful command.

Deidara was taken aback. He hadn't been aware that he was forming a _bond_ with her. It was hazardous to his life. _Maybe time away is exactly what I need._ His brows furrowed and, without casting another glance at Hinata, he spoke, "I accept this mission."

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Hinata visibly flinched as her skin's pallor turned a ghostly shade of white. What little appetite she had possessed – _Itachi is a horrible cook! – _disappeared as soon as her only protection amongst the criminal agency all but abandoned her.

All her fears from her first few days of being with the Akatsuki began to crowd back in on her mind. During her weeks with them, she had managed to push them to the back of her mind because of Deidara's friendliness, but now he was leaving, forsaking her.

She was being left to Itachi. He was one of the most ruthless ninja she had ever had the displeasure of meeting.

Back in Konoha, the younger ninja generations were told stories of him, as civillians were told of the boogie man. They were told he would come after them if they didn't do as they were told. The worst part of the fright was that he was a real person.

To commoners, this might seem cruel, but young ninja-in-training had to listen, or they posed a risk to themselves and all other people around them.

The upcoming generations were a lot more respectful and obedient than her own, Hinata had observed several times. The fright of this one man, the man who was to care for her in the blonde Akatsuki member's absense, caused a deep rooted fear to plant itself in her heart.

Said Uchiha smirked at her. "I think its about time we leave, if you do not wish to eat, Hyuuga-san?" A command thinly veiled as a polite question.

Casting one last anxious glance at her previous captor, she nodded her head. Keeping her eyes on her feet and bowing slightly at the door of the kitchen, she said, "Farewell," in a whisper of wind, then trudged down the hall following Itachi.

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Deidara didn't allow himself to look back at her until he was sure she would not lift her eyes. He watched her go with a worried gaze. _Curse you, conscience._ "What's my mission, yeah?" He asked almost sullenly. As his mind returned to where he was, he made sure to grasp onto his emotions fully and keep an impassive air about him.

Konan nodded, almost imperceptively, in approval. "You will be flying to Konoha to bomb the Hyuuga compound. Before you blow it up, though, observe them and their lifestyle patterns for several days. I want as many people to witness this as you can possibly gather." Pein spoke, glancing impassively over Konan's nod. He tossed something at Deidara. "Wear this. It's a Kumo hitai-ate. Make sure someone sees it."

"Why just the Hyuuga compound? Why not all of Konoha?" He asked, curious as to the leader's reasoning and worried for his captive's sake (not that he admitted it to himself).

"Because we want to distract them from their missing heiress and possibly create a war."

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The walk back to Itachi's room was silent apart from the bell around her ankle, and lasted far longer than the one to Deidara's, despite the fact that they were equidistant. The air was thick with tension as Hinata trembled.

Itachi turned to her. "Stop fidgeting. It's unprofessional," he voiced emotionlessly. He halted at a door to her right and reached into his cloak to pull out a key.

_He must keep the door to his room locked. I wonder why._ The thought flickered into her mind, but she dismissed it as none of her business. She watched Itachi open the door to his room and hold it open for her to enter before him.

"Thank you," she mummured quietly as she ducked into the room.

He noded and shut and locked the door behind them. "Do not try to escape and do not bother me while you are under my care," he ordered as he walked toward another door, presumably a bathroom.

She took the opportunity of being alone to observe her surroundings. The thing that first caught her attention was that there was only one bed in this room. That meant she was going to have to share it with him, or sleep on the cold ground.

She shuddered at the thought. Neither choice was appealing.

She forced her eyes to move on. They took in an ornately carved chest of drawers and a plain, tiny mirror before being drawn back to the single bed in fright.

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There was a thump, accompanied by the tinkle of a bell, on the other side of the bathroom door. Itachi was mildly curious, though nothing but a flicker of recognition toward the sound was apparent on his face.

He slid the door open with silent grace and quietly observed the unconscious body of the Hyuuga girl on the floor. He wondered fleetingly whether all Konoha girls were as shy as this one. The moment she had turned thirteen, she should have started training in seduction. This shouldn't be anything new to her.

He allowed his eyes to roll as he lifted the body onto the bed and sat meditating on a small pillow, waiting for her to awaken.

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Her eyes opened slowly, observing the quilt beneath her. It wasn't her silky soft lavender one from home, nor was it the rough red one from her bed in Deidara's room. The thought that she was in a foreign room with no clue how she got there made her shoot up from the bed with the jingle of her bell.

A mere instant later, she was thrown against the wall, gasping for breath, with a hand at her neck. "Where do you think you're going?" A voice growled at her from behind her closed eye lids.

Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of the voice. "I-I-I was f-f-f-rightened th-th-that I w-w-was i-i-in d-d-danger, U-U-U-Uchiha-s-s-san!" She squeaked through the pressure on her throat.

"If you were in danger, you would already be dead, Hyuuga. You passed out on my floor like the coward you are."

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He knew his word bit into her heart by the way her body seemed to lose its will to fight.

Her voice was whisper soft when she spoke her next words. "M-M-My a-a-apologies, U-U-Uchiha-san."

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Her stutter had returned in full force, making her wince at her own weakness. She thought she had forever been rid of it, but now her past weakness was back to haunt her. Despite all her progress, she reverted back to her old self with only slight prompting from Itachi.

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He let her sink to the ground, where she stayed positioned until he ordered her up. "You should have been trained in seduction. Is this unfamiliar?" He questioned tauntingly, knowing already what her answer would be.

She surprised him, however. "I-I-I was n-n-not a-a-allowed to st-st-study such a-a-a t-t-topic s-s-since I'm the H-H-Hyuuga h-h-heiress. I-I-it w-would br-bring sh-sh-shame upon my family. M-My friends g-gave me i-informal lessons s-s-so that I w-w-would be able t-to c-complete m-missions of th-th-that calibre, sh-should I b-be n-needed. I-I don't kn-know all the d-d-details of s-s-s-seduction, but I-I-I know e-e-enough." She eyed him distrustfully.

She winced as he lowered his head to the hollow of her ear. "I don't know what kind of games you're playing, girl, but they end here." He backed away and allowed her to sink to the ground once again.

He watched as she folded in on herself and wept into her hands. _She must be frightened out of her mind._ His eyes widened a fraction at the thought that rushed through his head and wondered where it had come from.

He eyed the white eyed girl warily, wondering if she had picked up any of the Yamanakas' tricks from her friends. He left her crying on the floor to reach into a dresser and yank out a pair of his old clothes. "Hyuuga," he spoke. His words came out as an order that he knew would have a response.

"Hai, Itachi-sama?" She replied in her demure, softly lilting voice.

He tossed the pile of clothes at her. She leapt out of the way as though it were a poisoned kunai. Had he been an expressive person, he would have chuckled. "It's just another change of clothes. You didn't honestly think that you'd have to wear one of your two outfits every single day, did you? We're criminals, not barbarians, Hyuuga. Though, I can see Deidara hasn't been taking proper care of you."

She trembled slightly from embarrassment and fear as she slowly approached the cloth. He was right, though. She hadn't brushed her hair since the night before she fell ill. She just hadn't bothered to brush it while she was sick, and she hadn't been given a brush after she had been kidnapped.

It wasn't her place to demand one, though. So she kept quiet and did as she was told. She tended to avoid mirrors in the prison of Akatsuki members because she knew she looked awful.

While her hair stayed relatively untangled _looking_, it was a mass of knots. She knew she had bags under her eyes from her lack of sleep. What little sleep she did get was filled with frightful nightmares that always resulted in her awakening with a silent scream of fear. After those nightmares, she could never fall back asleep. She had taken to crying silently at these times, so she almost always had tear tracks marring the alabaster skin of her face.

Itachi was right. She was a mess.

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He watched as the embarrassment spread from her eyes to her cheeks and neck. The blush was apparent, especially against the black cloth of the outfit she had been given by Deidara.

He clenched his fist. Itachi didn't have any previous bond with the Hyuuga heiress, and even if he had had one, he would have severed it long ago. It was pity he felt at the state of the once beautiful girl.

He had seen her at the parties thrown by the Hyuuga and his own family, and he once thought she was innocent and kind. Now, he thought her pitiful. He felt almost guilty about doing nothing to stop her fall from grace. Sighing silently, he turned his back to the pathetic being and walked the few steps back to his bathroom.

Pulling out a spare hair brush, he carried it to the girl. Offering it to her, he waited for her to take it.

She looked at him curiously, as though wondering what kind of trick he was playing on her. She hesitently reached out for it and he let go. She flashed a small, breath taking smile in his direction before slowly making her way to the mirror.

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Neji thought over the information he had gathered the week before and desperately tried to find an angle to maneuver. He had searched all possible leads, even gone to his uncle and the Hokage for help (which was unheard of for him) and come up with nothing. He had no lead to follow, no possible way for him to find his cousin, the heiress of the Hyuuga clan.

**Flashback**

Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Neji were racing time as they flew through the woods trying to reach their destination before the storm burst and it's rain came tumbling down.

Kiba was a fleet-footed young man with a nin-dog at his side. His spiky brown hair flew in all directions in the ever-increasing wind. The scarlet upside-down triangles on his cheeks, signifying his connection to the Inuzukas, seemed to grow ever darker as the sun disappeared. His face was creased in worry, as it had been since his teammate and friend had gone missing.

His white furred, horse-sized dog, their leader for now, was sniffing at the ground, desperately trying to track Hinata's scent before the looming storm crashed into them and washed the scent away forever.

Neji and Kiba paused, anxiously waiting for the dog to find some trace of her. Akamaru suddenly barked and began to race into the woods. The Inuzuka and Hyuuga followed without question.

They broke from the cover of the woods into a clearing with a pond at the far side, right below a small cliff from which a waterfall fell. The woods seemed completely undisturbed, save for a small piece of black fabric caught on one of the branches of the undergrowth.

Neji pointed it out and Akamaru padded softly over to sniff it. Growling, his fur stood on end and he backed away.

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"Neji, come check this out." Kiba called, watching his dog's reaction to the cloth with suspicion. The object he was pointing to was a lavender undershirt. It was feminine, and he remembered seeing it one day the year before when the mid-summer heat had been too great at training. Kurenai had ordered all three of them out of their jackets. He had been reluctant, but nothing compared to Shino and Hinata. They were such private people.

Shino couldn't stand people to see his arms. His bugs were free to crawl over him, making most people fearful and disgusted. Resigned to being shunned by his own team, he shed his jacket.

Hinata couldn't stand people to watch her. She felt far more comfortable with her jacket, but an order from a superior couldn't be disobeyed, so she reluctantly shed her jacket to show her lavender cami.

When neither of them were gawked at or rejected, a deep bond had formed between them, the inseperable team eight. They were closer than they had previously been, and had great trust in one another.

Kiba showed the garment to the chocolate haired man. "This is Hinata's. She was here!" He exclaimed.

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Neji's eyes widened at the thought that, not only had she been here, but she had been here mostly or completely naked. He chose to overlook the knowledge that the Inuzuka had seen his cousin without her jacket or an overshirt simply because he was too grateful for the help of the younger man.

"What do you think happened?" He asked, quietly praying for strength to get through the trauma of losing his younger cousin. Kiba hesitated for a long moment before Neji finally spoke again. "I don't know what you know that I don't, but if it can help us find her, tell me."

Kiba finally agreed, but on a condition. "If I tell you this, you will promise me that no matter what you want to do, you will not let her know that I told you, and that you will not stop her from doing this anymore once she comes back."

Neji scowled, but agreed and promised on his honor as a ninja that he would do as Kiba said. _Stupid Inuzuka, I didn't know he was so smart._ "Now what do you have to tell me?"

The Inuzuka took a deep breath before telling Hinata's cousin her deepest, most protected secret that he had sworn never to tell anyone. "She often trains at night, in secluded places, ever since we were thirteen. It's how she developed her own technique. I caught her one night, sneeking away from camp while we were on a mission. She made me swear not to tell anyone because she knew they would stop her.

"She is actually a lot more powerful than you think because she's been training alone for so long. She's just so shy that she could never go all-out with so many eyes watching her. Hinata told me that she's been training with water, trying to develop another new technique. She was worried that, after she got sick, her skills would deteriorate, so she was eager to get back to training.

"The night before you found her missing, she was probably out here training to get her strength back before she had to face you or her father or sister in an actual training match."

Neji sat, soaking up the newly aquired information, and marvelled at her lack of trust in him and her friends.

"I forgot one little aspect as to why she doesn't want anyone to know…" Kiba began, but trailed off at the implications of his words. Finally, he took a steadying breath and blurted it out. "She trains in only her bra and panties."

His words were met with a fist to his cheek. He had known Neji would be angry when he said he had caught Hinata training one night, but he hadn't know the man would punch him.

"And you let her continue to do this?" Neji shouted as a crack of lightening pierced the sky and the thunder pounded behind it.

"It's not my place to tell her what she can and cannot do. She is a grown woman; her choices are her own to make." Kiba responded chillingly.

Neji's words died in his throat as he realized the truth of his companion's statement. His fear at her loss had clouded his judgement. He was her protector, it was his duty. If she was sneaking away without anyone's knowledge, he couldn't do his job properly. He mentally scolded himself for not realizing what she had been doing for so many years. "Has she ever given you any indication of being followed or associating with anyone during her nighttime training sessions?" He asked her teammate.

"No, she would never consciously bring anyone with her; she's too shy to do that. This piece of cloth that Akamaru found is a huge clue. Look closely at the frayed edges." He ordered the older man, holding the cloth out for him to see.

The piece was pitch black, but something told Neji there was a purpose to looking at the edges. "What are you…" He trailed off as he realized that the threads on the end of the branch were red. The black and red fabric was used by only one group they knew.

"Akatsuki." Kiba confirmed in a whisper.

**End Flashback**

He, Kiba, and Akamaru had returned to the village and reported their findings to the Hokage. She had forbidden them to search out the Akatasuki stronghold until they had some clue as to where it was, and even then, she was not going to allow them to go.

Neji had exhausted his resources and himself in trying to search for a way to reach his cousin without having to infiltrate the Akatsuki. That was the only way Tsunade would allow him to rescue her.

**(A/N: Hope you liked the new chapter! Later.)**


	4. The New Captor

**(A/N: Okay, so I'm sorry for the slightly late chapter. Writer's block is a cruel, debilitating disease. Slightly shorter chapter this time, but I hope yall understand. I know I was supposed to post yesterday, but I got behind and hit a wall. But! I crushed the wall, so now, here's your newest installment!**

**Warning: Spoiler if you're not up to chapter 393.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation Chapter 4

Deidara silently slipped into Konoha, dressed as a commoner. On his hands, he wore dark blue colored gloves and over his head he wore a large hat that covered his face.

His cloak was brown from the dust of the road he had walked along. From the beginning of the journey, he had been told to act like a commoner from the moment he entered the village closest to Akatsuki to the moment he donned his disguise as a Kumo ninja.

He wondered if this mission was Leader-sama's attempt at making Hinata hate him. He was, after all, destroying the house of her family. That would ruin the bond that was forming between them.

He wondered at the mix of feelings that brought. Relief that he would no longer be attached to her. Sorrow for the lost friendship. Anxiousness for her survival without him. Anger at Leader-sama. Confusion over the mix of feelings. He was Akatsuki! He shouldn't care about the small girl he had kidnapped, and especially not about her family!

With that resolve, he proceeded through the village gates and made his way to the nearest hotel, wanting to relax for a short while before night fell and his mission began.

The hotel, a small yet well-kept place, was located in the commercial residence nearest to the Hyuuga Compound. The innkeeper exchanged his money for a key to his rented room, and within the span of several minutes, he was lying out on his bed.

Resting his eyes until night had fallen, he mapped out his plan in his mind. Following it, he should be able to gather who was related to the captured heiress (to make sure they witnessed the bombing, he told himself) and possibly spy on her friends, also (to make sure they knew whom they were messing with).

Night fell slowly as the crescent moon's dim light shone in a sky of dotted stars. Donning his newly aquired Kumo ninja attire, he leapt from the room and stealthily made his way to the Hyuuga Compound.

His mission was made easier by a remembered conversation with Hinata. It had been a few days into her stay, and she was slightly_ out of it was the only way to describe how she seemed. _He thought, his training keeping him from laughing aloud at the memory.

"Isn't it kind of creepy to live in a house where anyone could be watching you at any given time?" He had questioned her.

He had realized she was still sick when she coughed, sniffled, then spoke. _She must have a fever._ "Silly, they can't see us when we're in our house. It's not legal." She had giggled at him, surprisingly without stuttering.

He had puzzled over her cryptic statement for several minutes before figuring that he had the meaning. The Hyuugas weren't allowed to use their Byuakugan while in the compound to protect their privacy.

He knew she hadn't meant to say it, but her mind had been clouded by the sickness. He also knew the honorable thing would have been to let her rest instead of talking to her, but his insatiable curiosity got the better of him.

He had never been so glad that his prying trait had shown itself.

That knowledge made his observance easier. Making his way into the compound through the shadows of the nearly moonless sky, the first person he sought out was the leader. _Her father…_

He shook his head. There was no way he could think of their relation to the captive and still be able to focus on his mission.

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After her first day under his care, Hinata found that Itachi was as fearsome as she had originally thought him to be upon their first meeting in Akatsuki. He did, however, know how to physically care for captives.

It wasn't that Deidara didn't care, _in fact, he seems to care a bit much for a ruthless criminal; _he just did not know how to be responsible for providing someone's every need, especially not a female's.

Although she hated to admit it, both men lacked an important piece of caretaking skill, but they still took rather good care of her. Each had a separate way, but it showed that they cared enough about her, _about their jobs,_ to keep her safe. That was more than most criminals could say.

Maybe they were serious about training her and making her part of their organization. The thought rushed through her mind that they were more willing to spend time with her than her own family, but she quickly pushed it away.

_The Akatsuki must be desperate if they think they need me to make them stronger._ She thought skeptically.

She turned with a sharp gasp as the locked door clicked open and Itachi glided silently into his room. "It is dinner time, Hyuuga-san."

She winced imperceptibly. Dinner had become her least favorite part of the day after only one experience. Usually, Deidara chattered incessantly until food was set before him, and then they ate in a shallowly comfortable silence.

Itachi, on the otherhand, was frigidly silent throughout the entire affair, making Hinata feel awkward to no end. The night before, he had stared at her in an unnerving way as she consumed her meal. She wondereed what had gone through his mind.

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He chuckled silently as he observed her reluctance. The night before, he observed her openly through dinner to see her reaction. She figeted and blushed, looking about uncomfortably under his gaze, but otherwise made no protest. Had he been a lesser man, he would have laughed aloud at her discomfiture.

He noticed that even though she was ill at ease, she ate as daintily as though she were still at the Hyuuga Compound. She was not relaxed, but maybe she was used to uncomfortable dining. Goodness knows that was the way it was at the Uchiha Compound before he had been ordered to kill his clan.

He watched her keep her eyes focused on her plate as she seemingly ignored his presence. Soon, he knew, she would finish and begin fidgiting.

He allowed the meal to continue in silence, unwilling to bring up conversation because he did not wish to talk, and knowing that she would stay silent as long as he did. That had been the first small detail about her that he noticed. Her silence.

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She quickly finished her dinner under Itachi's scrutiny, wondering once more what he was thinking. There was no way she would ask, though. From past encounters with Sasuke, she knew that the elder Uchiha brother prefered silence.

Upon seeing that he was finished, she picked up her plate and made to retrieve his, but recoiled when he suddenly stood. "I'll get those." He said smoothly, smirking as she backed away.

Her head bowed, she passively stood by as he took the dishes to the sink. She wondered why he had taken them. Could she have done something wrong?

"Come." He ordered, sending her scurrying to catch up to him. She was still frightful of being left behind after the incident with Kisame and Deidara, but she trusted Itachi even less with her safety.

The treck went without incident, and Hinata was surprised to find that she was glad to be locked back in the security of her captor's room.

Quietly, she readied for bed, dreading the moment she would emerge from the bathroom. Eventually mustering all the courage she possessed, she slid the door open silently and nearly leapt into the bed in an effort to escape Itachi's amused expression.

She knew the only reason he allowed it to show was because it made her uncomfortable. She knew that he enjoyed making her squirm.

She lay silently as he slipped under the covers on his side of the bed around ten o'clock. He didn't allow her to sleep on the floor, and there was no way he was going to, so he had decided that they would share the bed. He had told her it was easier to keep track of her when he could feel her movements.

A nightmarish sleep did not come to claim her until the softly glowing digital clock read two in the morning.

She awoke with a scream passing through her vocal chords as she jerked to a sitting position. The door to the room flew off its hinges as it was opened by none other than the leader of Akatsuki.

He swept through the mess and immediately closed his hand around her throat, lifting her off the bed and slamming her against the wall. In his ever-so-quietly angry voice, he spoke. "Itachi, control your hostage. The next time I wake in the middle of the night because of her screams, she will die. I don't care whether we need her or not. We surviving members need our sleep."

Hinata couldn't breathe. She began to panic, clawing at his hands, trying to pry them off of her windpipe.

Konan brushed through the rubble behind him. "Pein, this hasn't happened for a week. Calm down and let her go before you kill her. You know this won't help at all. She'll just wake up tomorrow night screaming again because you frightened the little coward."

She turned to Itachi. "This happened a lot the first week. She woke up screaming the second night she was here, and Hidan nearly sliced her through. She was frightened for the next week. Eventually, Deidara said something to her, and her shrieks became less frequent."

This was the last she heard from the woman. The next thing Hinata was aware of was that she was laid out on the bed with a cold compress on her throat. She started to murmur a name, but was stopped by Itachi.

"Your throat is going to be sore for a while. I wouldn't recommend speaking any more than you need to speak." His eyes opened slightly from the plush black chair in the corner of his room.

Hinata merely nodded and spoke to Itachi in a whisper, knowing he would hear her. "A-Are you the o-one who t-took care of m-me?"

Itachi turned his full attention on her. "I put you on the bed and gave you the cold cloth. Konan is the one to give the credit to, though."

"Why?" Her whispered reply sounded far louder in the silence of the room. She wearily glanced to her side at the clock without turning her head. It read five in the morning.

"Her cold logic made Leader-sama let you go and leave you in my care after he made me swear to talk with you as Deidara did. Leader-sama is desperate to gain the Byakugan, so he's putting up with you. Anyone else who woke him in the middle of the night for something so pitiful would die."

His lack of empathy for her did not surprise her. He was known for his uncaring, aloof attitude. What she didn't expect were his next words. "What is it that has you waking most nights screaming in fear?"

She hadn't thought he would care enough about her to try to find the source of her fears. She couldn't very well tell him that he was the one causing her fear. "L-Living with a-an organization of S-class m-m-murderers, f-fearing for my l-life every m-moment I'm a-awake and w-worrying about my f-family even in m-my sl-sleep." _I'm scared that I will die and have never told anyone goodbye. I'm frightened that I'll be forgotten._

Itachi watched her silently for a few moments, as though debating whether or not to say something. Finally, he sighed and spoke. "You have nothing to fear. I won't hurt you, nor will I allow anyone else. Of all the things that I am, I'm not a liar."

A tiny smile stretched across her face as his words registered in her mind. After removing the compress from her neck, she rolled onto her side, facing away from the Uchiha, and closed her eyes. "Thank y-you, Itachi-san," she murmured quietly as a peaceful sleep took her away for the first time since she had arrived in Akatsuki.

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Itachi watched her facial muscles relax as she fell into a surprisingly peaceful looking sleep. He wondered at his words that were meant to comfort her. It hadn't taken much to get her to quiet down and relax, but maybe she was just exhausted.

He had refused to acknowledge the quickening pitter-patter that his heart had made when he'd seen her helpless form crushed against the wall of his room. It had almost been the feeling he had possessed when he was little and had accidently kicked a puppy when he was playing catch with his brother.

For a split moment, his heart had twisted within his chest. He had stomped the _emotion_ flat before he could even ponder it. Instead, he had found that he would be better off doing something with his hands, so he had walked to his bathroom, knowing she would stay unconscious for a while longer.

He had searched the room, looking for a wash cloth, but could not find one. He made a mental note to question Kakuzu later before sighing and removing his shirt. _I can't just let my charge suffer,_ he reasoned with himself.

He made his way back into his room with his wet shirt and a bowl of icy water to rest upon her neck to keep the swelling down. He had known she would be in pain, and probably have trouble talking, for the next couple of days.

He had sensed the tensing in her muscles the moment she had awoken. He had spoken before she could, warning her of the damage to her throat. She had been unable to form words any louder than a whisper, and for once, he had been glad that she was normally so quiet. He was attuned to listening for her nearly silent voice.

Now, watching her, he felt a small peace fall over his shoulders. She shouldn't be having that kind of effect on him. He was the heartless killer who murdered his clan on orders from the village. He, who was too heartless to kill his brother. He, who ruined that boy's life.

He shouldn't be feeling these things. He had possessed a fiancee, but had been able to kill her along with his clan. He hadn't truly felt since the last time he had seen Sasuke. So why was his heart matching up to the beating of hers?

He halted his thoughts before they grew out of hand. _My thoughts are only scattered because it is so early in the morning, and I was so rudely awakened._ His inner self reasoned with him. He shook his head and gave up on meditating.

He slipped back beneath the covers of his bed and allowed himself to drift into a sleep that was somewhat more relaxed than usual.

He looked around several hours later, wondering in the back of his mind what had awoken him.

Sensing the room, he realized it was the Hyuuga girl. She had shifted closer to him as they slept, and the heat her body radiated had awoken him, alerting him to her presence.

He came very close to smiling gently at her contented look against his shoulder before his mind came fully awake.

He shifted away from her. Though he was unwilling to wake her up, her eyes fluttered open and met his bare chest. When his gaze locked on her red face, he belatedly realized that he had forgotten to find another shirt to put on before he fell asleep.

He chuckled slightly, though it sounded more like a sadistic growl. She shrank away from him. "I-I'm sorry," she stuttered in a painful whisper.

His small, nearly imperceptible smile was short lived as he saw the full damage done to her windpipe in the broad daylight from his window. It was high enough up the wall to be out of reach of even a ninja of his calibre, but open enough to let sunlight filter into the room.

His eyes narrowed as they stared at her neck. She selfconsciously raised her hand to cover the damage, but he caught her hand before it even came close. "Go look in the mirror," he ordered.

She warily rose from the bed, shaking slightly in the chill of the morning sun.

Gasping at her reflection, she once again brought her hand up to gently caress the black and blue bruises below her chin. "I know the basics of healing jutsu if you would like me to try to heal that," Itachi offered off-handedly.

Eyes alight with a hope for less pain, she nodded her head. "Smart. Keeping quiet so as not to damage your windpipe even further. You may show some promise yet," he told her, giving her the first sincere compliment she'd heard in a long while. She knew Itachi didn't give out praise lightly, so maybe she really did have potential.

_Wouldn't it be ironic if I showed my potential here, when all Konoha ever did was crush me._ She plastered an almost bitter grimace onto her face as Itachi's hand hovered just above her injuries. She winced at the pressure of the chakra pouring into her neck, and finally relaxed when he brought his hands away.

"I healed your bruises, but you will have to deal with your vocal chords being sore, since they resisted my chakra," he watched her nod before continuing, "but you should be fine."

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Deidara smiled as his bomb grew to a giant owl before plunging out of the air head first. It was headed toward the place where it would do the most damage to the building, but the least to the Hyuuga population. "Art is a bang, yeah."

He just hadn't been able to kill off many Hyuugas, knowing they were Hinata's family. Now he realized what Leader-sama and Konan had been trying to tell him. His unhealthy attachment to the young Hyuuga heiress affected his mission.

_Maybe I'll tell them the Hyuugas had been called for a meeting with the Hokage and I hadn't known until the bombing had already been set in motion. _His thoughts were directed at the excuse he would give to his leader when he returned.

He jerked around when he heard a twig crakle and a deliberate cough. "I hope you planned on fighting today." A voice sounded from behind him.

The blonde whipped around, coming face-to-face with a tall man in a hooded olive green jacket. His eyes were covered by a pair of dark lensed sunglasses, and his nose and mouth by a high collared black shirt. With his hitai-ate wrapped around his forehead, all that was visible of his face was the skin around his eyes.

His legs were covered by a pair of thin baggy pants that ended covered in pristine white bandages. The wraped white cloth travled down into open toed boots and the only other part of his skin showing: his toes.

Wondering who this man was, Deidara spoke without answering the mans stated question. "Who are you, mm?"

"Doesn't matter," the other man replied.

Deidara scowled. "What do you want?" He demanded.

"What does Kumo think they're going to accomplish by blowing up the Hyuuga household? Is it that stupid grudge you hold against them for giving you the brother of their leader, instead of that man? Or is it because someone else got to your target first?" The muffled voice rang out in a deep baritone.

"If we can't have the power of the Byakugan, the no one can!" The blonde shouted at him before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Deidara was positive that the man he had encountered would spread the word about the identity of the attacker's village. Now, all he had to do was sit back and watch as the Hyuuga clan prepared for war.

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Hinata rubbed her throat in an effort to gain the sound she wanted. She had been adjusting to the sound of her voice all day: a raspy, gravely sound that grated on her nerves. "I-Itachi-san, when d-do you th-think-" she interrupted her sentence, remembering her captor's hatred of her kidnapper just before the word left her mouth. "Nevermind."

"When do I think Deidara will return?" He questioned almost harshly. "Probably within the next three or four days. Have I not been taking good care of you, Hyuuga?" He asked, seemingly to make her feel guilty about speaking like she wanted to get away from the Uchiha.

"Y-You are v-very kind, b-but he was th-the first p-person to c-care for me h-here, and I-I was m-merely curious." _Besides, the first time I saw you, you called me a failure. I'm more comfortable with him._

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Deidara smirked in relief. The Hyuuga vs. Kumogakure had finally begun. He could finally make his way home.

He leapt from the midday shadows cast by the wall surrounding the village. Most high ranking ninja were at his crime scene, saving the wounded and looking for him in the direction for Kumo.

The travel was slow because he was once again in his civillian garb, but it was with a much lighter heart that he was returning. He had stayed long enough to learn that no Hyuuga member had been killed, but several had been mortally wounded. _It's their own fault if they die. They should have better medics._

Finally shaking his head, he realized that there was no way he could unattach himself from the svelte Hyuuga girl he had captured. A month in the presence of her gentle companionship could soften even the most icy hearts. He couldn't wait to see the change in Itachi if this was what she had done to him.

The blonde's lips twisted in a poor mockery of a smile at the thought of her permanently softening his rival.

He couldn't wait to get back to base.

**(A/N: Not really much to say, but I think this is progressing quite nicely. Possibly won't be as long as I originally thought, but who knows. I may come up with some weird, off the wall plot twist that takes forever to type out. (: Who knows? Certainly not me. lol Later yall!**


	5. The Return

**(A/N: I'm introducing a new Akatsuki this chapter! Yay! School has been killing me lately. I've had very little free time lately, so I typed most of this chapter today. It only took four hours. (: Tons of stuff I should be doing, but this is more interesting than my other jobs. I'll probably regret it when I realize how much work I have tomorrow, but hey! You guys are more important. Anyway. I went horseback riding today! Weeeee! So much fun. That put me in a good mood, so I hope this chapter turns out okay.**

**BTW I'm changing my mind about making this super long. I could sit and come up with plot twist after plot twist for this, but I have far too much work to do to be able to keep up. I soooooo wish I could do everything I wanted to with this story, but I just don't have the time to type anymore. Maybe after I get less busy and learn to balance track, school, leading a troop of girlscouts, homework, and church I'll start a side story of some of the stuff I want to happen in this story but can't fit without making everyone wait months on end for me to update. I'm getting the story moving a little bit with the romance! I'm sure some of you are very excited about that. Hope y'all enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 5

Several days after Deidara left Konoha, he met up with his partner. That man threw the door wide open, almost pulling it off its hinges. The black haired man smiled, though no one could see, and entered the building, an angry blonde following on his heels.

The blonde seemed ready to explode, and was, in fact, about cause the man in front of him to do so, when he heard a small gasp resound through the halls.

His anger melted upon the sight of the newest Akatsuki trainee and her temporary overseer. She looked far less haggard that he had been used to, he guiltily noticed as he thought of his lack of physical care for her.

As for the raven haired Uchiha following her, Deidara smirked upon finding a soft, yet nearly undetectable smile. Deidara realized that no one could stay in her presence for very long without softening slightly, if not more.

"Well, now! A welcome party? You shouldn't have, yeah!" He grinned as he smacked Tobi on the back of the head in an effort to get him to calm down.

"We didn't." Itachi bluntly asserted.

"B-But we are v-very glad t-to see y-you back u-unharmed, D-Deidara-san, and y-you as w-well, T-Tobi-sama." Her stutter was back, Deidara was disappointed to find out. He wondered what had happened to her while he was away.

"Tobi is happy to be back! Hina-chan is so nice! Hina-chan is a good girl!" Tobi exclaimed with a smile clearly apparent in his voice.

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Hinata quitely giggled behind her hand. Deidara's partner was strange, but he was funny, and somewhat similar to Naruto with his upbeat, hyperactive fashion. The smile melted from her face at the thought.

"I-Itachi-san, I'm r-ready to g-go back now. I'll c-collect my p-possessions and b-be o-out of your w-way in n-no time." She soberly stated.

Itachi nodded his head and led the way. "Deidara isn't welcome near my room." His voice stopped the blonde in his tracks.

"A-Ano, Itachi-san, d-do you th-think you c-could make a-an exception f-for right now? I-I want to t-talk to my f-friend whom I-I haven't s-seen in a w-week. I-I would d-do the s-same for y-you if y-you had been g-gone for s-such a l-long period of t-time." Hinata stuttered her way through the request.

Any response Itachi could have made was immediately cut off by Deidara's indignant shout. "What do you mean, you'd 'visit him too'! I would never allow it, un!"

After a week of longing to be away from the oppressive aura of Itachi, Deidara's enthusiasm was like a breath of fresh air. Though it was a very loud one.

"You're just going to have to accept that she made other friends and found a new caretaker after you so rudely abandoned her, Deidara." Itachi spat oil into the fire.

"When was the last time you said no to leader-sama?" Deidara watched as Itachi's impassive eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch. "Exactly as I thought, mm. I'm sure Hinata understands why I had to leave, right?"

Hinata nodded hesitantly as her eyes drifted between the two men whom she had spent her time with during the past few weeks. Itachi had cared for her as Deidara had, though in his own way. It was nice to know that she had befriended him – _as much as is possible to befriend a Akatsuki._

She followed behind the Uchiha man and wondered at how her life would change again. She had more than one person to count on her side, now: the mortal enemy of her other protector. Maybe Leader-sama had done that on purpose. What better way than to make her two allies the enemy of the other.

She wondered what Deidara's mission had been. Maybe he would tell her something about it when she returned to staying with him. Hopefully, nothing much had changed between them.

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Itachi had watched the hope light in her eyes, shortly followed by a small gasp, when she had first lit her eyes on the returning blonde. He had felt an unfamiliar sinking feeling in his chest, but quickly pushed it away and had attributed it to the return of the idiot blonde and his partner, who was even worse.

He had scowled as he watched the blonde's face light up in return after previously wearing an angry frown. The male's greetings, apart from Tobi, were rather unnecessarily rude, tinging on hateful.

When he had forbidden Deidara from following them to his room, Hinata's response had sent his heart pitter-pattering again. She had said she would do the same for him that she was doing for Deidara. What was wrong with her? She was attempting to humanize them.

He thought he had managed to crush his emotions for all but his younger brother the night he had killed their clan. _What has this girl done to return them?_ He wondered, silently glancing to the girl by his side.

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Deidara watched Itachi glance at the Hyuuga girl as they walked away. "I'll wait for you in the lounge, Hinata-san," he called after them.

She turned to look at him before nodding an acknowledgement and turning to ask Itachi a quesiton. "W-Will you w-walk me d-down there, j-just in case th-there are other A-Akatsukis in the h-hall?" She, being bold for herself, asked.

Itachi nodded his head in affirmation before turning and smirking at Deidara. The blonde glowered as he watched the two turn the corner on their way to their – soon to be **his** – room.

The ex-Iwa nin smiled, though, when he realized his good fortune. He was the one who would care for her now that he had returned. Itachi had cared for her only for a few days, but Deidara would have until she proved herself loyal to them to watch over her.

He wondered absently how Leader-sama would make her prove her loyalty, and when. He hoped to be there to support her when it happened.

He could no longer deny his longing to be by the Hyuuga girl's side. Sighing, he strode down the hall to the lounge to work on his mission report. No amount of seperation would allow him to regain his heart, but he could feel himself slipping each moment he spent with her. He didn't want to allow himself, but he had no choice in the matter. The blonde only hoped that he would be able to hide his feelings better, now.

His interest could put her life on the line, so he would find a way to successfully put those thoughts of her out of his mind as often as possible. He didn't want to admit to himself how often those thoughts chased through his mind while he had been away, but now that he had returned, he realized how much he wished he had made different choices, ones that would have kept him in his village.

There was no way he could change now. He was a ruthless criminal to her, one who took away her freedom and her hopes for love and happiness. He wondered what she thought of him. Maybe some day, in the future, after she had stayed with them for a while, he could ask her.

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The wild haired boy looked up and exclaimed in success. His first thought was to wake the boy sitting next to him, but the shout had startled the sleeping person.

"What? Did you find something?" The once sleeping young man asked.

"I did! There's a discrepancy here, Neji-san." The wild looking boy nearly shouted.

Neji took the mission report from the boy beside him. Reading over it, he realized that the gennin team had been under a genjutsu to keep them away from something. The team hadn't realized it, but the genjutsu had been slowly leading them in a southerly manner.

When they had finally realized what was happening, they blamed their faulty compass. This was exactly what they had been searching for! "Good work, Kiba-san. We need to alert Tsunade-sama immediately. Then maybe she'll let us investigate."

"You don't think she'll send someone else, do you?" Kiba looked down at the paper that was being passed back to him.

This gave Neji pause for a moment. "Let's wait until the rest of the rookie nine are sent out on missions, except maybe Shino-san, since your cell doesn't have a third member. That way, she'll have to send us."

Kiba looked worriedly at the other boy. "But what if that doesn't happen this week? What if it takes too long?"

His chocolate haired companion frowned. "They wouldn't kill her. The Akatsuki would offer a ransom for her before they did that. I'm more worried about what Kumo is planning against us. I don't want to start a war with the Akatsuki, but we can't hold off much longer. Hinata-sama is in danger, and Tsunade can't stop me from going if I get permission from Hiashi-ojii-san."

"And then what about me? Tsunade-sama is just magically going to let me go because you're going?"

"Look. We have to do everything we can to save her. If that means one of us gets left behind in the process, then so be it."

"You wouldn't say that if it were me going."

Neji scowled at being caught out. "Fine. Let's just go now, and see what Tsunade-sama has to say. There's no sense sitting here arguing without cause when we can get definite answers."

Both nodded an affirmative and left the records room to speak with the Hokage.

"I don't know who let you into the records room, but if I ever find out, that person is fired!" Tsunade thundered as she listened to the beginning of their explaination.

"But don't you want to save the heiress to the most powerful, influential clan in your village?" Neji pleaded.

"Of course I do, Neji-kun, but right now, I have a potential war with Kumo to deal with. For all we know, the Akatsuki have already killed her and are waiting for the rescue party to kill also. If they haven't already killed her, then we have no reason to assume that they will kill her." She placated.

"But they could be torturing her!" Kiba interjected.

"How is my sending two chunnin to search for the Akatsuki hideout while I'm in the middle of contacting Kumo to declare a war going to help end Hinata's torture?" Tsunade reasoned.

"We would be one step closer to eliminating the Akatsuki! That's how." Kiba implored with a viscious expression and a slash of his clawed fingernails. "Knowing their location would allow us opportunity to observe their movements and find out whether Hinata is still alive."

Upon seeing the stubborn looks of both ninjas faces, Tsunade sighed and gave in. "Fine. Go and find the hideout. But do not proceed into battle. If I find out that either one of you have died, I will bring you back from the grave and kill you again." Tsunade morbidly ordered.

A look of relief passed across the faces of both young men as they were handed a newly written mission scroll and given a time limit of two weeks to find and observe it.

Tsunade sighed as she watched the two leave, hoping that she would see them again.

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Itachi handed Hinata a small bag in which she could place her two spare sets of clothes, her brush, and the journal that he had given to her after Pein had injured her neck during the night. The Uchiha had told her that she should write her thoughts down in it so that she could look back some day in the future when she had been accepted as a full member and wonder how she hadn't consented to her new life.

She had protested, thinking that there was no way she would write her private thoughts in a journal that anyone could read. Itachi had only responded with a knowing smile and told her it was a chakra sensitive book.

A smile had stretched across her face as she realized that only she could open it, if that were the case. Her thanks had been humble and sincere, making a small smile appear on the man's normally expressionless face, though Hinata had not looked up to notice it.

She packed all of the items that now belonged to her into her small bag and walked to the locked door. She waited as the eldest Uchiha unlocked the door and proceeded to follow her through it. Itachi allowed a companionable silence to fall about them as they took their last walk alone together for a long while.

He winced as the thought hit him with a pang. Wondering where it came from, Itachi kept his eyes facing forward and pushed all thought from his mind.

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Hinata smiled up at the eldest Uchiha as they reached the lounge, a place she hadn't realized she liked until having not visited it for a week.

She watched as Deidara's head rose from the paper on which he was writing, more than likely alerted by the tinkle of her bell. She offered him a shy smile, which was returned with a grin. He bent back to work, as though knowing that she would join him shortly on the couch.

She turned and bowed lightly to Itachi in thanks for the escort. He laid a hand on her arm, to which she flinched ever-so-slightly.

The Hyuuga heiress listened as he sighed. She could almost hear the thoughts she knew were running through his mind. _We shared a bed for a week, and you still flinch at my touch _or possibly _I helped save your life from our angry leader, and you still fear that I will kill you._ She wondered when she would ever feel comfortable enough to let someone of the Akatsuki touch her without flinching.

Mustering all her courage, she put forth a sentence without a stutter. "Thank you, Itachi-sama, for everything." Holding her breath, she quickly leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his torso before scurrying to sit beside Deidara with the ringing of her bell.

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Itachi stood and stared at the Hyuuga heiress for a few moments before spinning on his heel and walking back to his room to think. Why did her arms have the effect of making his heart beat quicken and his face heat? Was it his lack of physical touch over the years, or something more?

He decided to sit and sort out his feelings. Before he saw the girl next, he would have an answer.

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She watched as Deidara glanced to the side as she sat. "Hey there, yeah," he greeted. "Did you get everything? I don't want to see him again for a while, un."

Hinata shook her head. "Y-You really shouldn't f-fight like that. You're b-both very k-kind people at h-heart."

A voice behind her made her jump. "We don't have hearts," the masculine voice proclaimed. "That's why we joined Akatsuki."

Hinata squeaked at the correction, almost afraid to turn around. She listened as Deidara scolded whomever it was. "You shouldn't sneak up behind the trainee and scare her like that, yeah. She might not want to be part of our ranks anymore, and then where would that leave us, Zetsu, mm?"

_Zetsu?_ The name rang a bell. Hinata thought for a short moment, before remembering which picture in the Bingo book he belonged to.

His was the most frightening, even when compared with Kisame. Zetsu was black on the right side of his body, and white on his left. His eyes were yellow and without irises. A seeming venus fly trap surrounded his entire upper body, and his hair was the same green as the carnivorous plant. Brought together at his chest area, the fly trap descended into his fastened Akatsuki cloak.

He was a fiersome sight in the Bingo book. She couldn't imagine how he really looked. Though she didn't want to, she turned around to come face-to-face with the frightening man.

Her judgement of his picture was correct, though he wasn't as frightening as she imagined him to be in her mind. She greeted him with a stutter. "Ano, I-I am H-Hyuuga H-Hinata, a-and I'm t-to b-be the n-new r-recruit."

"Zetsu, **and don't forget it**, please." The man replied. It was as though each color represented a different entity, which it very well could. Maybe he was schizophrenic. His voice broke through her thoughts. "**As I said, we don't have hearts**. None of us are very kind here."

"I-I beg y-your pardon, but I-I have f-found that D-Deidara-san and I-Itachi-sama a-are very k-kind to m-me." She disagreed.

"Ah. I see Deidara didn't tell you what his mission was, then. **He bombed the Hyuuga Compound**." White Zetsu sounded sorrowful at the news, while his black half took pleasure in telling her of the deed.

Hinata's pupil-less eyes widened as she turned to Deidara for confirmation. When she saw his discomfiture and the slight nod of his head, her eyes filled with tears. "I want to go back to my room." She whispered quietly.

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Deidara acquiesced in an equally soft voice as he glared at the plant-encased man behind his charge. "Let's go, yeah." His heart squeezed in his chest as he watched a tear roll down her cheek.

He led the way back to his room and opened the door for her. Her first move was to enter, place her bag on the side table, and crawl under the covers of her bed. At first she merely bundled under the covers, but then seemed to change her mind. She crawled back to fresh air and opened her bag.

Taking out a book, she asked for a pen in a trembling voice. Puzzled, he handed one to her and watched as she settled back. She seemed to take comfort from merely holding the book.

Curiosity overcame him. "What is that, yeah?" He asked.

"M-My j-j-journal." She answered shortly, with a waver in her voice.

"Where did you get that, mm?"

"F-From Itachi-sama. H-He was v-very kind t-to me in y-your a-absence." Her voice seemed to say that she didn't want to talk, but was too polite to tell him that. He decided to allow her time without questions.

"No one was killed, yeah," he said after a few moments of oppressive silence. She made no move to acknowledge that he had spoken. He tried again. "I made sure that I didn't hurt anyone to whom you were close. Especially not your cousin or father. They're frantically searching for you, you know. I'm gonna have an awful time explaining this one to Leader-sama."

He watched as she showed no reaction to his news. "Look. I didn't want to accept the mission in the first place. Remember what I told the Uchiha? No one says no to Leader-sama."

"Stop acting like Itachi-sama is trash!" She quietly exclaimed, avoiding the subject.

"I watched your friends to bring you an update on how they're doing." He said, imploring her to listen to him.

Her eyes widened as some of the sadness left her eyes. "Tell me." Her eyes danced with anticipation.

**(A/N: I'm sorry, that's where I have to end it. I have to get some sleep cause I have a looooong day ahead of me tomorrow. Slight cliff hanger here, I'll do my best to get this updated in time again. Catch ya later! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it is slightly shorter than I wanted it to be! **

**Ah, and when Zetsu is talking, normal type is his white side, and the bold is his black side.)**


	6. The Fights

**A/N: I would just like to give you fair warning that I have completely made up Deidara's backstory. The first time I typed that her cough had lasted three weeks, I thought I was over doing it a little bit. I mean, how could a cough last that long. But then, ironic enough, my brother caught a cough. Guess how long it has stuck around. Almost four months. XD And now I have one too. It has lasted a week. A week! Is it because I made Hinata suffer? I think the universe is just trying to rid me of my long-lasting-cough-doubt. But that's okay. I believe now…. Can the coughs go away? Does anyone else find this ironic?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 6

Deidara's eyes showed his accomplishment as he opened his mouth. "Your cousin – Neji, right? – has been searching frantically for a way to find you, but your Hokage won't let him leave the village to look for you without a clue as to where you are, yeah. Your father seemed just as worried as your cousin, and your teammate, the Inuzuka, seemed to be spending a lot of time with Neji, mm. They're probably helping each other out. Your other teammate, the bug weilder, seemed depressed, but I actually ran into him, un. I made sure not to hurt him, though. I just shouted at him before I fled the village, yeah."

"What about my sister and my sensei? Did you ask after them, or however it is that you figured out whom I know? What about Naruto and team seven?" Hinata enthusiastically questioned, forgetting to stutter and almost forgetting that the man had bombed her home.

"Your sister is well, but that was all I could find on her, yeah. The only reason I knew of the people I found was because you mentioned them several times in your sleep during the first week, mm."

The Hyuuga heiress blushed and quietly sat back on her bed, contemplating her new information.

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"So you're trying to tell me that the one who bombed the Hyuuga Compound was wearing a Kumo hitai-ate, but he had the chakra reserves of an Akatsuki?" Tsunade looked to the Aburame with clear disdain. "Don't mess with me, kid. What use would the Akatsuki have of bombing the Hyuugas?"

"According to Kiba, the people who kidnapped Hinata-chan were Akatsuki. They would want to create a conflict between us and Kumo to distract us from rescuing her. The Akatsuki obviously know of the Hyuugas' previous involvement with Kumo." Shino logically reasoned with the Hokage, praying that she would believe him and allow them to search for her.

"And you expect me to send you after the ninja now that you've convinced me that he was an Akatsuki, whom is even more powerful than Kumo." Tsunade fired his logic back into his face.

The cloaked young man thought for a few moments before quietly speaking a truth both had ignored previously. "We know that the Akatsuki mean to cause this village harm in the name of Kumo so that they can keep Hinata-chan. What's to say they won't attack somewhere where there are more people. We are lucky that no outsider knows that the Hyuuga are not allowed to use their Byakugan within the clan walls or that bomb could have killed hundreds of people."

Tsunade sighed as she rubbed her temples. There was too much that could go wrong with sending them after her, but there was so much more that could go wrong if she stayed immovable. "You may chase after the ninja then. Do NOT engage in battle. Kiba and Neji have already left on a reconnaissance mission," she said, catching his question before he could even open his mouth. "If you meet up with them, bring them up to date and let them know what you do."

"Do not enter the base under any circumstance. If you meet one of the Akatsuki, flee immediately. If anything else happens, do what you believe is the best to keep you and your team safe. Choose your team members wisely. You have two weeks to track and return, with a grace period of five days. After that, I will send another, more experienced team out to locate you and you will be relieved of high class missions for a month unless specifically needed."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." The young bug controller aquiesced to the Hokgae's strenuous demands.

The door burst open in a whirlwind of orange and yellow. "Baa-san! Do you mean to tell me that they've found Hinata-chan and you weren't planning to tell me, dattebayo?"

"It was for that precise reason that I wasn't going to tell you. You were not close to her, and the Akatsuki are looking to kill you to extract your demon. That is plenty enough reason to keep you in the village."

"But I also care for Hinata-chan, and there is no way the Akatsuki can kidnap and hurt her without facing me! You let me chase Sasuke when he left of his own volition. Why can't I chase after a kidnapped Hinata?" The blonde boy questioned with a whiney tone.

"Actually, Tsunade-sama, I would like to bring him with me. Naruto has been attributed much power that could prove helpful in case of an emergency. He has also fought against Akatsuki members before, which would give us helpful insight." Shino cast a look at Naruto, silently telling the other boy that he had better be grateful.

Tsunade sighed. Knowing she would regret it, she aquiesced to allowing the Kyuubi Jinchuriki to leave the village.

"Yosh!" The Uzumaki exclaimed, quieting when Shino threatened to leave him.

"We leave in an hour. Hurry up and don't be late, Naruto."

"Where are you going?" The orange clad ninja wondered aloud.

"To find the third member of our team." The Aburame replied before whirling away in a cloud of bugs, much to the displeasure of the Hokage.

Said woman sighed once more before glancing around and making sure everyone was out of sight. She smiled as she reached into a secret compartment in her desk and pulled out a bottle of Sake.

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"I thank you for caring enough about me to defy Leader-sama." Hinata finally spoke aloud.

The silence had seemed never ending to him. There was no way for him to know what she thought about him now. He had felt he had no hope of ever having his feelings returned now that she knew he had bombed her home.

When she finally spoke, he had been sure that it was to tell him she hated him. But she surprised him. "I figured if I had to live with you, I might as well get along with you, right?" He lied, trying to hide his real reason. _I seem to do that a lot with her. _He contemplated wonderingly in his mind. "What makes her so special?" He whispered aloud, though too silently for her to hear.

"Deidara? Where is your family? Did you kill them, the way Itachi-sama did?" She quietly spoke again.

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She had spoken before she had realized it again. She wondered at how he had enough compassion for her to spare even her family so as not to cause her pain (because even she, as untrained as she was, could see through his lie) and yet abandon his village in favor of becoming a missing nin, mass murderer.

"My family?" He repeated. She knew that he had heard her clearly. Maybe he was just buying time to come up with a lie. But maybe, a little sliver of her brain replied, it hurts him to talk about them. Maybe he loved them. Maybe he was like Itachi-sama, forced to kill them for peace.

"My family died when I was very young, mm. I don't remember much about them. What I do remember is the aftermath of their deaths, un. I had always been a little bit unstable as a boy. Losing them just magnified it, yeah." He shuddered as though he were reliving it. Watching as he lay down on his bed, she sat off to the side, though still near him.

"You don't have to tell me if it pains you too greatly." She reasoned that she had no business sticking her head into an S-class ninja's business if he didn't want her there.

"No, it's okay, yeah. I was always the last boy to be picked up from the academy when I was younger because my civillian foster parents worked all day to support the other foster kids, mm. None of my adopted siblings went to the academy with me. They were civillian kids, hm. But my goal in life had always been to become a ninja. Even more so when my parents were killed, yeah.

"You know, I was going to be a big brother, mm. But when our village was attacked in the middle of the night, my mom, dad, and little soon-to-be sibling were all murdered. I was left alone because I was a coward, yeah. I hid." He broke off. There were no tears in his eyes, but the blue of them was slowly darkening. It was anger that radiated off his prone form.

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"The other students at the academy would tease me because I was alone while all of them had parents, hm. I guess it was the little things that made me break. One day, I snapped, mm. It was only a few days before I would be assigned to a gennin team. I had already surpassed everyone else in skill-" He had to add that, his pride made him want to impress her. "-and they were so jealous, yeah. I just wanted them to stop picking on me. I was so incensed at their constant belittling, hm. My self control just shattered. I killed them all, yeah," he ended softly, observing the emotions flit across the face of the female Jyuuken user.

He felt the bed tremble underneath him as he watched tears fill the Hyuuga's eyes. "All those children…" She trailed off. He wondered what was moving through her mind. Mere moments later, he watched a wall build up behind her eyes. Usually such open books, he could no longer tell what she was feeling.

"I was subdued by an ANBU before I could do any more damage than I already had, yeah. At first, I contemplated dying in the cell to which I had been sent. But Leader-sama had seen what I had done as he passed through Iwagakure, mm. He told the guards that he wanted to speak with me because he was a civillian parent who needed to look at the face of his child's killer, hm. That way, he wouldn't have to show his hitai-ate. After he met with me, we broke out, and I joined Akatsuki because there was no where else for me to go, yeah."

The silence that descended after his telling her of his past was almost worse than what he had endured after he learning that he had bombed her home.

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When he finally finished his story, she was shocked. How could the man before her have endured so much without fully giving in to his darker side? She was amazed at his resilliance. The blonde was still kind, compassionate, and when she looked into his eyes, she was sure she could see love there.

At that, her thoughts paused. She had never seen love in his eyes before. Where had that thought come from? Forcing her emotions back, she concentrated on the meaning of his story. She had been prepared for a gory tale, but not one involving the deaths of so many children. His own classmates, nonetheless.

"Do you think you would have gone with Leader-sama if you hadn't killed your-" here, she struggled to force the word from her mouth, leading to a short pause, "-classmates?"

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He hated to see the sadness that passed over her face when she spoke of his previous killings. "I don't. But if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been half the ninja I am today, yeah." He proclaimed, hoping to remove her mind from the many deaths that he had caused.

"You mean, you wouldn't be half as unstable or sadistic as you are now." She said bitterly.

"Where did that tone come from?" He was shocked that she even possessed such a tone. He should have realized, though, since she was a ninja. How could one face death at every turn of life and not be slightly bitter?

She reguarded him with distaste for a moment before hiding behind an emotional mask once again. "Have you ever looked at a small, newborn baby before, Deidara-san?" She inquired.

"Iie, mm. Why?" He was bewildered by her turn of subject.

"They are innocent. Have you ever watched one grow up? Have you ever looked upon the face of a tiny, innocent babe and thought 'this child will grow up to be a murderer someday'?"

He thought of the families he used to pass on the streets in Iwa. There had been small children, but never once had the thought that the chubby faces were of kids who would kill some day.

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She watched the thoughts process through his mind. "Have you ever thought that you were ending a life before it even had a chance to begin? When you kill for Akatsuki, have you ever wondered who's family you're killing? Have you honestly never wondered if you were causing another child to suffer as you had to suffer?" Her quiet voice had lulled him into a moment of deep thought, but her final words pulled him back to the surface.

"I have thought of that before. I have never cared about that. The only thing I do now is kill to better Akatsuki. I could also ask the same of you. When your Hokage sends you on missions, do you think about the people who's lives you are ruining?"

He watched her eyes fill with hurt and knew he had spoken too rashly. "Hinata-san, I'm sorry." He immediately apologized.

"No, you're right." She replied as she backed away from him to her own bed.

He heard, rather than saw, her crawl under the covers and become still. The explosives artist sighed, a silent gust of air, before he rolled over to do the same.

It seemed like only moments later that he was awakened by the tinny of the anklet he had given to Hinata. He felt her chakra approach his bed. Deciding to stay frozen as though still asleep, he listened for further movement.

Nothing surprised him more than when she curled up at the foot of his bed. "What are you doing, yeah?" He questioned aloud before fully thinking through his words.

She squeaked and leapt up. "Nothing, Deidara-san," she panted fearfully.

"Tell me what you were doing," he demanded, knowing that being forceful would allow him an answer.

"I'm-" she paused as though searching for a word or lie, then spoke again "-scared." Her voice sounded different than normal for a moment, but he brushed it off as her fear.

He looked bewildered for a moment before it occurred to him that Itachi had only a one-bed room and that she had spent the last week curled up with him –

He broke his thoughts away before he could become even angrier with the Uchiha filth. He slid over to make room for Hinata. Her whispered thanks and sigh of relief made it worth the interruption in his sleep.

The fact that she had even admitted her fear and crawled beneath his covers meant that she still trusted him –perhaps too much. At least she wasn't too mad or hurt to speak to him.

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The three man cell had met at the gates. Naruto, Shino, and Shikamaru were prepared for finding the worst. They had moved out as soon as the last person, the Uzumaki, had arrived.

They had a good segue into the forest, making up for the time lost by conversation with the Hokage and one another. They set up camp in the forest, leaving a lookout at every point of the night and exchanging shifts when needed.

Mostly, they kept on the lookout for opposing ninja and a misleading genjutsu. They had found no signs so far, but there was still a lot of ground to cover before they would reach the point when they had been told Kiba and Neji had found the discrepancy.

Making sure to relay his plan to the others before retiring to get as much sleep as possible, Shikamaru had spoken to his teammates. "When we find the signs of the genjutsu, make sure to release it. Aside from that, do not waste any more chakra than necessary for moving at our increased pace."

"What will we do when we find the hideout?" Naruto asked, for once being quiet because they were in foreign territory after their long day's run.

"We will watch the area, gather information for what they plan on doing."

Shino seemed to agree to the plan, though he had nothing to add. "Let us retire. Naruto, your watch is first. Wake us at the first sign of danger." With that warning, he turned his back to the orange clad ninja.

"I'm not a little kid, you guys!" His indignant tone was the last thing that rang through his teammates' minds before they fell into the abyss of dreams.

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Hinata awoke, as normal, to a warm sensation on her back, but there seemed to be less room on her side of the bed today. She just let herself lie there, though, because she didn't want to wake Itachi-sama again and have him in a bad mood all day.

Her eyes widened when she realized that it was Deidara's room, not Itachi's, that she looked into. Rolling over carefully, she watched the blonde man's eyes open. "Good morning," he said quietly.

"Gomen ne," Hinata apologized before scooting away from him and throwing the covers off of her.

He grabbed her arm, preventing her from moving any further away from him. "Feel better?" He inquired.

Her face twisted in confusion for a moment before she remembered why she had sought him out last night. "Hai," she replied, "I do. Arigatou, Deidara-san." She turned her back to him.

"Why were you afraid last night?"

Her hand involuntarily went to her throat. It was no longer bruised, but her voice still sounded strange at times. "I am more comfortable with a friend," she simply responeded.

"What did that piece of Uchiha filth do to you?" He demanded with a fear for her safety that he didn't know he possessed.

"Stop calling him that!" She exclaimed before continuing to explain in a small whisper. "He saved my life."

"Then what, heven forbid, happened to scare you so badly?"

"Do you remember my first week here when I woke Leader-sama by screaming? It happened again, but this time, he almost killed me. Itachi-sama gave all the credit to Konan-sama, but he nursed me back to health and healed my throat. My vocal chords are still not fully healed though." She admitted.

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He couldn't help it. He was absolutely furious. He couldn't believe Itachi had allowed her into his life enough to care whether she lived or died. His voice was tight when he spoke. "I suppose he shared his bed with you, and you came to feel that he protected you through that."

He watched the blush blossom on her face. "Iie. He allowed me on the bed before that. It's just that he-he cared. That was unusual, but comforting. The night after Leader-sama attacked me, I-I woke up and-" the final part of her sentence was spoken so quickly he barely understood it "-hewaslettingmecuddleinhisarms." Her blush deepened, as did his anger when her words finally registered.

"And you let him?" He ground out.

"I can't stop him from doing anything. He over powers me in all categories. He didn't force me though. I had curled up to him in the middle of the night. He merely allowed it." She smiled a strained smile.

He was about to tell her exactly what his opinion of that was when she spoke again. "C-Can we train again? I haven't trained since you left because I was fearful of Itachi-sama's reaction to my asking."

He smiled minutely at her admittance of fear of his rival. That meant her heart was still up for grabs. "Of course. I see that your persistant cough has finally melted away, mm. Now we can seriously fight, yeah."

Hinata nodded her head. In that small moment, they mutually decided not to mention her week with Itachi any more than necessary because both knew it would lead to an argument neither wanted to have. The blonde explosives expert led the way to the training ground a short way out of the hideout.

Hiding the thoughts of the past week in the dark recesses of his mind, as he was sure she was doing, he spoke. "Now, what do we want the rules to be this time, yeah? Taijutsu only, or shall we throw in some ninjutsu as well, mm? No weapons?" Deidara smiled at the blissful look that crossed her face. She must not have been allowed outside while under Itachi's supervision.

He knew for a fact that the time she was granted outside was her most treasured time of all. He knew she didn't like it inside. He had been able to pick up that much before he had left.

"I think we should practice just taijutsu first. Then, after one of us loses-" he knew she was referring to herself "-we can move into ninjutsu."

He responded affirmatively before disappearing in a flash of leaves. He watched her close her pearly eyes before opening them once more, veins bulging. "Byakugan." He saw her lips shape the words. "Come out, come out, wherever you are." She teased.

"Ollie, ollie, oxenfree!" he responded as he leapt out at her. She spun on her heel and blocked his fist with her palm.

Her movement was a moment too slow; the recognition of this fact entered her eyes when he swung his other fist, an uppercut to her chin.

She flew backward, using the momentum to flip and land on her feet. Gingerly, she rubbed her jaw before disappearing. A kunai thudded into the wall a short distance from where her head had been.

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He watched in facination as Hinata sped about, almost seeming as though she were playing around.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Kiba growled lowly next to his ear. "Shut it, mutt." Neji hissed warningly.

"He's taunting her! It must be some way to warp her mind. There's no way he would bring up a game we used to play as kids. Mass murderers don't play children's games. What do you think they've done to her?"

"It doesn't look like they've tortured her. Sure, she has bags under her eyes and she's a mess, but I can't see any major injuries or chakra disruption. That uppercut to her jaw should have shattered it, but she seems fine."

"Neji, she's got her Byakugan activated. Should we leave before she spots us? If she reacts, she could be in danger, or even give our position away." Kiba glanced worriedly from the face of his current teammate to the body of his kidnapped one as she flipped, dodged, and twisted out of the reach of her opponent.

Neji mirrored the movement before making the decision. "Tsunade specifically said not to engage any Akatsuki in battle. We need to leave." His voice took on a pained hint at the end. As much as he wanted to hide it, it was killing him watching his cousin get beaten by an Akatsuki when there was nothing he could do about it.

Kiba nodded slowly as he slunk away through the undergrowth.

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"Deidara-san, hold on a moment," Hinata said as she paused, trying to figure out what had disturbed her concentration.

He landed in front of her and she watched the puzzled expression pass over his face. "What is it, hm?" He questioned.

A frown marred her features for a moment before she shook her head. _I must be imagining things. It's just because I haven't been outside in a week._ "Nothing. A bird just caught my attention for a moment," she lied. _Can't have him thinking I'm insane, can I?_

He nodded sagely and grinned. "Let's end it here for today, yeah. I know we didn't get to ninjutsu today, but you haven't practiced without coughing for over a month. We should let your body get used to the flow of battle again, mm."

Hinata agreed with a contemplative nod. "I hadn't thought of that. Can we hang out in the courtyard today instead of the lounge? I'm tired of being stuck inside all day." As soon as the words flew from her mouth, she clamped it shut, panicking, and turned her wide eyes on her captor/friend.

He shrugged, looking nonchalant. "Sure, yeah. I don't mind, mm. Being outside is nice, hm?"

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It took all he had not to look down at her with the same look she was giving him. Where had that assertiveness come from? Maybe it had always been there, but she had been too frightened to show it.

Or maybe he just had to be playful to make her feel comfortable enough around him. Realizing he had stumbled upon her secret, he smirked. "Last one to the courtyard has to make breakfast tomorrow!" he shouted playfully, getting a small headstart while the Hyuuga girl stood staring at him.

Suddenly, she smiled and appeared in front of him. "Yeah, right!" She giggled, the bell on her ankle matching the one from her laughter.

He allowed her to win. He couldn't stop himself from giving her that pleasure. "You caught me off guard when you took off in front of me, yeah," was his explanation.

She looked at him, brooding, for a moment before she perked up. "At least we won't have to deal with Itachi-sama's complaining about cooking!" she expressed in a burst of giggles and happiness.

That was when he realized that the next day wasn't his turn to cook. He had just offered to cook for his arch rival. Itachi hated to cook, and Deidara took that job for the day. He scowled.

Hinata merely grinned at him, as though she knew what he was thinking.

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She hadn't had that much fun in ages. She couldn't even remember the last time she had allowed herself to giggle like a little girl. Not even in her own village. There, everyone expected her to be the uptight, proud, perfect Hyuuga heiress. Even when she was little, she hadn't been allowed to run around and laugh like the other kids her age.

In the Akatsuki, she didn't have any of that responsibility weighing her shoulders down. Here, it was only fear of the other members that kept her from herself.

With Deidara, she felt comfortable. With Itachi, she felt protected. Wondering what it would be like if they would interact, her eyes glazed over into a daydream.

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Itachi thought he heard childish laughter outside the hall. It was in the courtyard. He walked to the window and peaked out. Hinata sat in the grass, looking as though she had lived in the hideout her entire life, and laughed at something his enemy said.

He growled. As he had promised, he had sorted his feelings for the Hyuuga woman into neat thoughts, and realized that there was a feeling of extreme protectiveness, mixed with what could be love. If he nurtured it, that feeling would mature.

How was he going to get her away from the blonde. There was no way he could woo the girl with that walking time-bomb around her. He hadn't felt this way in a long time, and the courtship that he felt he could offer was a slow one.

The blonde seemed to make her comfortable around him.

Itachi would just have to try harder.

The fight for Hinata would be long and ugly, but he was certain he could win it. The eldest Uchiha smirked, pleased, and turned away, plotting.

**(A/N: So, this chapter is moving the plot along. Honestly, I'm kinda disappointed in this chapter. It didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I don't know how well it turned out because I was rushed to finish it, even though I sat for over six hours working on it. But hey, I at least hope if flows well enough to catch your attention and make sense. If there's something that doesn't, let me know, because I went back through this chapter several times. I changed so much so that it would flow better and things wouldn't move too quickly that I'm not sure which pieces I left and which I forgot to fix. Let me know what you think, please, so that I can become a better writer and get things right the first time. I hope you enjoyed this chapter of MC! Just as a heads up, there's gonna be a little bit of a time skip in the next chapter.)**


	7. The Relationships

**(A/N: Yep. Still coughing. But it has evolved! Now, instead of coughing often, I've got a hacking cough that leaves me breathless. I can't breathe while I cough, and I can't breathe afterwards, so when I can breathe, it feels so wonderful. When I cough, it brings tears to my eyes and I both sound and look like I've been crying. Did I offend the coughing wizard with my doubt so badly that he cursed me? I dunno. **

**I really hate to do this, but if I don't this story will go no where. I'm gonna have a mini timeskip in this chapter. It's only two weeks, but it needs to happen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 7

That night, after spending the day reaquainting herself with Deidara's manner of expression, they headed into the kitchen for dinner. Hinata realized a moment after they entered that it would be a long meal. Itachi was already sitting at the dining table.

"Good evening, Hinata-san." He stated simply, ignoring the blonde who was standing right behind her.

"G-Good evening, Itachi-san. A-Are you h-hungry?" She questioned hesitantly, gesturing toward the table where he was sitting.

A small smirk passed across his face as he glanced over her shoulder. "Why, yes, I am. Might you be cooking tonight, Hinata-san?" Flustered to the point where she couldn't speak for a moment, Hinata mutely shook her head. "What a shame." The raven haired man shook his head in disappointment.

"I-I can if you r-really want m-me to cook." The Hyuuga heiress muttered quietly, eyes downcast. She looked over her shoulder at Deidara for confirmation.

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As much as he hated to cook (the one thing he had in common with Itachi), he hated losing to Itachi more. Although, if he told Hinata that she couldn't cook, it would look like he was desperate.

_I would have to sit peacefully at the table with Itachi._

_She would not be sitting near him._ His mind argued back at him.

_Itachi would get what he wants, though._

_I wouldn't have to cook and I'd get a good meal._

The pros outweighed the cons, so he aquiesced with a nod of his head. "Go for it, yeah."

The bright grin that passed across her face made losing to Itachi worthwhile. _What is she doing to me?_ He wondered idly.

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Why was Itachi being so nice to her all of a sudden? It didn't make any sense. When she stayed with him the week Deidara was gone, he had not been hateful, but neither had he been kind. What caused his strange behavior, then?

_Maybe he misses me._ As soon as the thought came into her mind, she dismissed it and shook her head.

Thinking back on her stay with the Akatsuki, she realized something.

It was strange the way she was accepted and cared for. They were kidnappers, S-class missing ninja. There was another side to them, though. A side no one else had ever seen. The few that she had met were not always cruel, nor were they emotionless. They were the ultimate ninja, hiding everything behind a powerful façade.

She mentally shook her head. There was no way she could humanize the Akatsuki if she wanted to keep her true purpose in mind. She had only allowed herself to let them close to her so that she could gain information on them. If they felt she could be trusted, then they would share things with her. She would learn of their plans and spy for her village.

She did realize, as she was cooking dinner, that there was a fine line between acting and real life.

When Deidara had shown up earlier, she had been glad that he was safe. She had forcefully broken down her shy exterior when he had agreed to train with her. In doing that, she let herself get close to him in the way he was supposed to be close to her. She was reluctant to admit, even to herself, that she had truly enjoyed the time they had spent in the courtyard.

At the rate she was going, she would care for him too much by the time a rescue party showed up.

_Should I continue to try to glean information through a bond, or should I try to keep myself distant?_ She pondered as she rolled the spring rolls onto a plate and sat them on the table.

Looking at the men before her, she decided that there would be no way for her to back out and keep distant now. She had allowed them too close, and they would be suspicious of her if she backed off.

As she sat at her newly designated place in between Deidara and Itachi to keep them from fighting, she acknowledged the dread that was creeping into her at the thought of a rescue party.

What would she do when they got here? She had made friends here; what if they got hurt? Or what if her friends from Konoha got hurt? Would she rather stay or go?

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He glanced at the girl sitting by his side. On her face was a look of deep thought. "Hinata-san, mm?" He tried to get her attention. When she didn't respond, he tried again. Only after waving a hand in front of her face did she even look at him.

"Hai, Deidara-san? What do you need?" She inquired quietly.

"What are you thinking about so deeply that you didn't even hear me, yeah?"

A slightly guarded look came into her eyes. "Just home," her voice carried longingly over the table before she even realized what she had allowed into it. "I miss it," she admitted.

His eyes softened as he leaned over to her. "Maybe, if we're lucky, when you're a full member we'll get a mission near your village so you can go visit, yeah," he said excitedly.

"If I'm a full member, I'll want to stay as far away from there as possible. I don't want to possibly betray you guys, and I know I won't be capable of fighting my friends for a long time. After I become a full member, it will be even longer before I can return." She turned slightly to her left to address Itachi. "How long did it take you to get over your friends in Konoha?"

"Not even a year. I had already been conditioned by the ANBU to stick to my missions no matter what. It was much easier for me than it would be for you, Hinata-san."

"I see. How long does conditioning take?"

"Several years of practice for the normal ninja. It took me six months. I was already half way there because of my father."

While he continued to speak for a moment, Hinata nodded her head, as though she were interested in his life. Deidara nearly snorted as he realized that she had taken a position that she used when she was bored. She must not have been as interested in Itachi's background as she was Deidara's. He smirked at the thought.

His smirk faded when he realized that she knew far more about Itachi than she did about him. That was probably why she was bored. He gave a quiet, undetectable sigh.

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She knew she couldn't stay in the balance for much longer. There was no way she could continue living with her newly found friends without making the choice of becoming a missing nin soon, she realized shortly after cleaning up dinner.

Reaching forward slightly to grasp onto Deidara's shirt sleeve, she tugged gently on the fabric. "Deidara-san, can we go straight to sleep tonight? I don't feel well," she pleaded. There was no way she could face another entertaining evening without making her decision even harder.

She truly cared for these men, but she also loved her family and friends in Konoha.

When the blonde artist agreed, she smiled and they walked to his room. She curled up by his side after he offered to protect her from Pein for the night and drifted into a surprisingly peaceful sleep.

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"Shino, Naruto, Shikamaru, what are you guys doing here?" Kiba questioned curiously when they met up near the Akatsuki hideout.

"Tsunade allowed us to take a mission out here to spy with you two and look for Hinata," Shikamaru responded. He began to relay the updates to the two new members of the now-united team.

"We've already seen her training with the blonde explosives guy. It looked like he was mocking a child's game with her. It looked similar to hide-and-seek, but battling instead of hiding. She didn't seem to have anything wrong with her except for a lack of sleep and personal hygine time." Neji stated their findings from earlier in the day as Kiba scowled.

"There's nothing we can do here. She has a guard at all times," the Inuzuka glowered.

"We should retreat and ask for permission to sneak in and rescue her," Naruto exclaimed.

Each of the boys agreed as they turned around and left, though none of them knew they had been overheard.

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He smirked as he watched the five boys hurry back to their village. "They won't come back here in one piece," he assured himself.

Making sure no one saw his return inside, he slunk through the halls until he came to the door of the leader's room. Knocking quietly, he waited.

The door swung silently inward and an angry red haired man stood in the opening. "What now? God forbid I go a week without being woken in the middle of the night!" The man said with passive anger.

"I just thought you might like to know that our hideout has been compromised. Five Konoha ninja have been spying on our new recruit today. They plan to return here to take her back in a covert mission a short while from now."

"Good work, Zetsu. When they arrive again, do with them what you will. Save one, though. He will be the test we use to prove that our new recruit can be who she needs to be. We'll keep him for a month, to let her attachment to us grow, before we give her the choice." Pein laughed, his previous anger forgotten in the joy of the impending difficult choice.

The man addressed also smirked as he turned away from his leader. There would be a large price to pay for trying to kidnap one of the Akatsuki. It didn't matter whether he liked the girl or not. Anything to incite a battle.

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"But Baa-san!" Naruto's explosive voice rose to a note so high that the Inuzuka had to plug his ears. "You have to let us go in to rescue Hinata!"

"Actually, I don't have to do anything. You are incorrect in assuming that I will do something just because you say I need to do it. She will be rescued in a timely manner. Because I am a nice person, I will put you, Neji, and Kakashi in the three man rescue team. I think you will be the most efficient. My reasoning is my own. That is final."

Naruto let loose a shout of triumph, Neji's expression was smug, and Hinata's teammates were outraged. Shikamaru's passivity went unacknowledged.

"We should be allowed to go also! We're her teammates!" Kiba's argument was indignant.

"I have my reasons for choosing. You will accept them," she ordered the boy. Turning back to her previously named team, she said, "I will give the mission scroll to Kakashi when he arrives. Until then, you are all dismissed."

They left, though some were reluctant to do so. Making their way down the steps of the Hokage Tower, Kiba turned on Neji. "I thought we agreed not to go without the other because of the help we've given each other in tracking the Akatsuki?"

Neji almost looked apologetic as he spoke. "I'm sorry, Kiba. My cousin takes top priority in any case, and you would have done the exact same."

Kiba, properly chastised, said no more as he watched the Hyuuga leave to prepare for his mission.

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Kakashi looked from the scroll to the two young men before him. "This is going to be a long mission, you two. We are to stake them out for at least two weeks before we can even begin formulating a plan of recovery. You are going to have to watch whatever happens to her without making the slightest noise or movement to help. Are you both prepared for that?" He inquired gravely.

Upon receiving two affirmatives, he led the way to Konoha's gate and the left, beginning the at-least-month-long mission.

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Hinata smiled as she watched the sun's rays travel across the wall as the day began to lengthen. Making sure to move as little as possible, she attempted to turn on her side without waking the blonde.

Said man was curled loosely at her back. She had the sudden urge to reach out and stroke his hair to see if it was as soft as it looked. Looking puzzled at the impulse, she shook her head and accidentally startled the blonde awake.

"Good morning, hm," he mumbled sleepily.

"Good morning," she responded with a smile and a giggle.

She felt that today would be a wonderful day. Crawling from beneath the covers, the bell around her ankle chiming, she walked into the adjoining bathroom and shed her sleep clothes. Before stepping lightly into the shower, she laid out one of the spare sets of Akatsuki robes she had been given, along with her undergarments.

Once under the steaming drizzle of water, she let her mind wander away from her problems. As the water cascaded down her body and past the drain, so did her cares. For the moment, anyway.

Turning the cool water down, she let the nearly scalding water wash her cleaner than she had felt in weeks. It wasn't often that she took advantage of almost boiling showers to wash her insecurities and troubles away, but when she did, she always felt lighter.

Wondering what had possessed her to stay away from the hot shower for so long, she spent a half hour trying to stall in the water.

Soon, however, she knew she would have to leave the warm, watery confines of the tub and face her troubles once more. Setting foot outside the shower, she reached for a towel and hurried to clothe herself.

It was awkward standing naked in a bathroom that wasn't hers. She wondered passively if she could ever feel at home in Akatsuki, the tossed the thought from her mind. She would deal with the choice when the time came.

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The Hyuuga female was taking a much longer time than usual in the shower. He wondered if he should check on her to make sure she hadn't run away, but immediately voted against that. There was no way he would be able to handle her embarrassment if she was still in there and okay.

Eventually, he resolved to wait another twenty minutes, then knock. If she answered, he would leave her alone. If not, he would enter.

His thoughts were interrupted by the halting of the flow of water in the shower. _She's still there._ He thought, assuring himself of the fact.

As she stepped from the bathroom, he noticed that she seemed lighter, as though she had fewer things to worry about. It made him wonder what she had done, but he decided to leave her be for now.

"Ready for breakfast? We'd better go before Itachi gets there and takes your job away," Hinata teased airily as she proceeded him through the doorway.

Deidara sighed and agreed, wondering where her bright personality had come from. "What's got you so happy this morning, un?" He questioned, half joking, half serious.

"I had a wonderfully steaming, cleansing shower. I always feel better after one of them," she answered, glad that she even seemed happier.

Watching her closely, he led the way into the kitchen and locked the door. He didn't want Itachi to actually _know_ that he had cooked.

Moving about the kitchen, he grabbed ingredients for a western style breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. In the midst of preparation, he bumped into Hinata, who had stood up to get a glass of milk.

He stood and stared at her for a moment before snapping back into reality and turning to the food again.

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She wondered what his expression meant as he stood and stared into her eyes. Never having seen it before, she didn't have a clue as to what it meant. Curious, she watched as he turned back to their food.

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He hadn't meant to stare at her like that. He didn't want to scare her, so he quickly turned away. The only problem was that that time wasn't the last time he got caught up in her mesmerizing eyes.

It happened again every-so-often. Before he knew it, two weeks had passed, and he was very nearly staring at her every moment he knew she wasn't looking.

During training, he found himself drawn to the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed and the part of her pink lips as air passed by them.

Several times, he had caught her staring back and felt his heart beat quicken. He wondered if hers did too.

The evening of the day that marked her first full month in Akatsuki, Deidara watched her sit down on the bed that she no longer used with a contemplative look on her face.

"What are you thinking about, hm?" he now felt the freedom to ask as he walked over to her. He sat down in a spot that left very little space between them and leaned over to look into her downcast face.

"Konoha. They haven't tried to rescue me yet, and I was just wondering what was wrong. When Sasuke left of his own volition, Tsunade-sama sent several rescue teams out. I haven't even seen one for me," she stated, her voice dropping into a note of saddness near the end. She tried lowering her head even more, but he caught her chin in his hand and raised her face so she would look him in the eye.

"Maybe she has sent several out, yeah. There's no way any of them could get to you with me or Itachi around you at all times, un. You're always either with one of us or inside. How could they possibly get to you, mm?" He reasoned with her, trying to cheer her up in the way he had learned after the first time they had had this conversation.

"You said that before, and as much as I know in my mind that it is true, I still feel as though I am worth less," she confided.

"Don't. You are a powerful ninja in your own right, and you're getting better, yeah. Your strength still needs work, but your endurance and stamina has improved by leaps and bounds, mm. Do you remember when I first brought you here and Itachi so rudely told me I had my work cut out for me? I think he was right, in a manner of speaking, un. Your self-confidence is far too low for my liking, but your talent is perfectly workable, yeah. You have so much potential that Konoha could never have unlocked for you, mm."

"Deidara-san, I thank you very much. I'm just in a self-depreciative mood right now. I apologize," she smiled brightly at his compliments.

Impulsively, Deidara leaned down and attempted to brush his lips lightly across her cheek, but she turned her head at the last moment, and their lips met. He froze, watching her shocked expression, before he leapt away from her awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I-I'm sorry, yeah. I-It was a-an accident. F-Forgive me, hm?" He stuttered nervously.

Her face turned crimson as she realized what he had done. "H-H-Hai!" she squeaked as she lifted her hands and hid her face from view once more, though this time probably from embarrassment rather than sorrow.

Deidara could have killed himself right there. He remembered a day earlier in the week when she had talked to Itachi.

"_Hinata-san, may I talk to you for a minute?" Itachi politely asked. When she agreed, he led the Hyuuga heiress out into the courtyard and spoke with her for a few moments before walking away with a small smirk of triumph plastered minutely on his face._

"_What did he want to talk with you about, Hinata-san?" The blonde explosives expert questioned curiously._

"_He said all he wanted to tell me was that he'd be here if I ever needed to talk or if something happened," was her mystified response._

What if she goes to Itachi about this? His idly wondering mind caught onto this thought and stuck. No matter that he knew she wouldn't have the confidence to seek Itachi out, he couldn't get the worrisome thought away. "Hinata-san, I really am sorry, yeah. I promise it will not happen again, and if it makes you uncomfortable, I can distance myself from you, mm. Anything you need, un," he claimed, hoping desperately that she wouldn't ask him to push her away.

"Iie, i-it's okay, Deidara-san. Y-You just caught me offguard." A small, uncertain smile slid onto her face. "Does that count as a kiss?"

His head tilted in thought for a moment. "I suppose so, since our lips met," he replied, also uncertain.

The smile slipped away for a small, hesistant moment before returning with more confidence. "That was my first kiss, then." A short, shocked silence later, Deidara gasped and started to apologize once more, but she interrupted him. "It was nice," she whispered as her face flushed with a burning blush.

Again, she was met with shocked silence. "I could do it again, if you'd like," he offered hesitantly. Both ninja were stepping on new, unknown grounds now.

**(A/N: Muwahahahahahaha! I'm so evil… Slight cliffie, and what will Itachi have to say about their kiss? What will Kakashi's team do? Will they find out? Dun dun dunnnnnn! –dramatic music!- lol anyway. I'm hyper, and have nothing better to do than type more in my author's note. I would like to explain the reason this chapter was a week late. Last week, when I tried to post this chapter, it wouldn't let me even edit any of my stories. The site kept coming up with an error. It did that to me for several days, so I figured I'd quit trying for two or three days, come back, and see if it would work. Those several days evolved into nearly a week because of this elusive thing that I couldn't catch until now. It's called free time, and if any of you know where an abundance of this substance is, it would be greatly appreciated. XD So yeah. Site issues and a lack of posting time contributed to the lateness of this chapter, but I will do my utmost to post the next chapter of MC exactly three weeks from the 27 of March, my last deadline, instead of three weeks from today. Hope you enjoyed tonight's installment, and I look forward to typing this next [exciting!] chapter!)**


	8. The Decision

**(A/N: So. SCHOOL IS FINALLY OUT FOR SPRING BREAK! Yall have no idea how excited I am for this. We haven't had a school day off since January. IT ABSOLUTELY KILLED ME! But now we have a whole week off. And I am going to spend it doing as little as possible for school. I'm going to hang with my friends down in a historic town in my state, play lazertag with my church youth group, read, and work on this as much as possible so I can keep on top of my updates (like I haven't been doing) and make the chapters longer. I feel awful for shorting you guys on the chapter lengths (they've been getting progressively shorter) so I want to get back on top of things like I was at the beginning. So. Enjoy this chapter that is barely on time (Sorry!)**

**Disclaimer: I STILL don't own Naruto. DX Don't remind me!)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 8

His fingers clenched as the words left Hinata's mouth. Raven hair fluttered as he brushed away from the heavy, mideval-style door that did nothing to mute the soft words that his too-keen ears picked up. His crimson eyes flashed in anger as he realized that all his planning from the past weeks had gone to waste.

He had made sure to go out of his way to be kind to her. He had offered to help her with breakfast, cleaning, and even her training.

Once, he had thought he had gotten through. It had been a couple of days after she had accepted his offer for training, and he had seen her pitiful attempt at a successful genjutsu.

It had been successful, though, so he had praised her quick pick-up of the difficult jutsu. There had been many times when he relied upon that genjutsu in the past, so he felt it was a perfect choice for her first project.

What he hadn't expected was that she was already semi-capable with genjutsu.

**Flashback**

"You know some genjutsu already?" He questioned, allowing a hint of curiosity into his voice for her benefit.

"H-Hai," she responded hesitantly, "m-my sensei is a g-genjutsu specialist. Sh-She felt it was b-best for us t-to master m-most of the g-genjutsu basics b-before allowing us t-to pass our chunnin exams." Upon finishing her sentence, she paused and looked down to her worn sandals. Remembering the kind woman, more of a family to her than she had ever known of her own clan, made her miss Konoha with a deeply rooted longing.

Seeing the pain in her posture, Itachi took mercy on her and moved on, not comforting, but carefully avoiding. The look in her eyes when she realized what he was doing made the Uchiha greatful that he had gone out of his way to do so for her.

She smiled at him and looked like she was about to speak for a moment before shaking her head slightly and closing her mouth once more.

"What is it?" He inquired, looking around the room to make her more comfortable. He knew she didn't like attention centered on her. He had observed that much from her habits since she had entered into Akatsuki as a trainee.

In the back of his mind, he catalogued the room habitually. The door, dungeon styled, was closed and locked from the inside. He would hate for the Hyuuga heiress to lose concentration should they be interrupted.

The walls were large concrete stacked blocks piled high for an indoor training facility. The floor, hard-packed dirt that could be easily replaced, was barren. Near the ceiling, a 'spectator section' was located for other members to critique the work done by their peers. Or call names and insults. The latter was what mostly happened, unless their leader was present. Humming electric lights lined the ceiling, specially structured metal bars blocking them from most jutsus, weapons, and humanly capable strength.

Other than that, the room was completely bare.

"I-I just w-wanted to th-thank you v-very much f-for offering t-to train me, I-Itachi-sama." The Hyuuga finally spluttered with a dark blush across her face.

He moved close to her and leaned down, his lips nearly brushing her forehead. Then, in much the same way he once did to his brother, he poked her in the forehead and told her, "Maybe again some time," before unlocking the door and disappearing in one motion.

**End Flashback**

Now, though, knowing that she liked Deidara more, he felt the need to release his frustrations.

Moving down the hallway, he knocked on the door of the one person who could do something about it.

Leader-sama.

That man answered the door with a gruff "What?" Shortly following this, his eyes narrowed and he let the door swing open enough for him to see the eldest Uchiha brother.

Behind him, all that was visible was a chest of drawers with a mirror set atop the stand, both resting against the wall. The double bed was not detectable, but Itachi knew that it was compressed on both sides by night stands.

Itachi's ever observant eyes had once detected a second ring on their leader's finger. One, the Akatsuki ring, was located on his left thumb; the other, a simple golden band, wrapped around his left ring finger.

Having kept his observation to himself, he had surmised what the second ring was for. Casually, he made it a point to watch Konan's left hand for another ring also. He had discovered that she possessed the same band, though hers had a small diamond.

He had inquired about it the next time he saw the ring on Pein's finger and was nearly killed for it. "That is none of your business," the leader had claimed.

Itachi's eyes had narrowed and he spat, "You and Konan are married, aren't you?"

The red haired leader delivered a swift punch to Itachi's previously unmarred cheek and backed away. "You will never speak of this again or I will see to your instantaneous demise."

Wisely, Itachi had kept his mouth shut about that relationship, but Deidara had no such power over him. "Leader-sama, I belive that the Hyuuga's presence with Deidara has grown steadily detrimental to the health of the Akatsuki as a whole."

Pein's ringed eyes became thoughtful. "How so?" His chin lifted in question, completely comfortable with being in charge of the conversation. No one would dare cross him.

"His relationship with her has been getting more serious. There is a chance that he could be falling in love with her. A relationship would distract him from his duties and possibly get one of the Akatsuki killed."

Mouth twisting and lips pressing together, Pein's eyes flashed as he made his reply. "What are you insinuating, Uchiha?"

Realizing the other meaning Pein had taken from his words, Itachi smirked to himself. _Insecure about his relationship with Konan, I wonder?_ "Merely that some ninja do not have the focus for both a relationship and their job." _Let him take that as he likes._

Glancing back over his shoulder then allowing his gaze to return forward, Pein met the eyes of his inferior. "Having something to fight for may give him more focus."

"Or it make him lose his focus when she dies or betrays him," Itachi stated darkly. "You can't seriously expect her to choose a group of mass-murders over her caring, simple life in the Hyuuga Clan?"

"If he can make her fall in love with him, then she would not leave." His voice was flat, as though he were merely stating facts instead of talking about one of the touchiest subjects in the world.

"And when she dies on the battlefield, what will happen to him then?" Knowing that he had gotten to the crux of the matter, the raven haired Uchiha smirked.

Momentarily silent, thinking up an intelligent response to stump the Uchiha, Pein did not hear Konan's silent footsteps as she approached him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and spoke, "At least he will have had someone. He's never had anyone to care for him before. To experience love even once is better than the lifetime of hatred Deidara has always known."

"Maybe so, but what will happen?" Itachi pressed, needing them to see that there was no way Deidara could protect her the way he could.

"Itachi, why are you so worried about Deidara all of a sudden? I thought you two hated each other," Konan questioned, her smile stretching into a smirk when he grew silent. Quietly, she spoke again. "That's what I thought. You want an equal chance at her heart. A mere week was not enough, was it?"

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Itachi realized that these S-class murdering missing nin were more of a family to him than the Uchiha had ever been. They seemed less human, yes, but they still cared for one another.

Even Deidara, Itachi hated to admit, was like a bratty little cousin. Konan and Pein, the only married couple, could easily pass as the parents. Kisame could have been his older brother. The others, even Zetsu, could have been cousins of his.

This family was what he had wanted as a young child. _Maybe slightly less murderous, but still._ His eyes widened involuntarily as he came upon that realization. Looking down at Konan's feet, he allowed his head to bob slightly.

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Konan sighed thoughtfully. "I knew it would come to this. At first, I tried to scare her away, make her want to leave, because I knew this would happen. There's no way a girl as kind as her could stay in this place for more than a week without having you boys drooling over her like puppies."

Looking at Pein apologetically, Konan made a decision. "I will move back to my old room and allow her to stay with me there for a week. That is all the time you will have. After that, we will give her the initiation exam and she will either become one of us or cast away from here. Should she pass, she will stay in whichever room she chooses."

Knowing that Pein was unhappy with her proposition, she chose to look at Itachi instead. She wondered what he thought of her plan.

Her wondering cut short, he answered. "Okay. Who will be training her for the next week?"

She smiled in a motherly manner that she hadn't known was possible for her. "Both of you will have an hour with her per day, along with whatever other time she wishes to spend with you."

"How will you break the news to Deidara?" Itachi smirked, knowing the blonde would be absolutely lost without Hinata to spend hours with him.

"I will tell him. You go on and find Hinata so you can take her to train, and then walk back here with her afterwards."

Itachi's small nod of appreciation was all she got before he turned and loped down the hall. She didn't expect any more than that. She was surprised that he had even admitted as much as he had. It only went to prove that if they could all get past their pride, they could be a close-knit family.

She had always thought of them as that. Ever since she and Pein had secretly married, she had been thinking of their organization as her own personal family. Sometimes, she went out of her way to make their lives easier, though no one knew it except her husband.

Turning to him, she spoke remorsefully. "It's the only way to solve it without someone dying, and you know it."

He nodded. "That doesn't mean I have to like it, though." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "This is going to be a long week."

She murmured an agreement. "I have given Itachi enough time to get Hinata away from Deidara. I need to go find that blonde and get him to understand what I'm telling him before they're done. I'll come back by here after I tell him."

The leader sighed deeply, laying his head on her shoulder. "I'll miss you," he whispered for her ears alone.

"And I, you, Koibito." She spoke softly before pulling away from his warmth. Casting a single glance behind her as she lost their last intimacy until Hinata had passed or failed her initiation, she continued down the hall.

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The blonde stood from his clay as a knock sounded on his door. Opening it, he found their blue-haired origami kunoichi with a hand raised to knock one more time.

"Deidara, there's something you and I need to talk about. Come, walk with me." She motioned down the hallway and moved back from the threshold.

Warily, he stepped into the corridor and followed as she began to speak. "I have decided to allow Hinata to stay with me in my room for the week. That way, she will be allowed a girl's company and not be distracted in the last days of her training. Her induction test is approaching soon, and she needs to be prepared if she is going to win her way into Akatsuki." Her pointed glance told him that she knew he loved the Hyuuga girl.

"Why?" He simply questioned, looking around as Konan led him through a heavy cherry wood door and into the bright sunlight of a garden.

"Because Zetsu has seen her friends nearby. Recently, we instructed him to do what he wished to them if they came into our territory. However, a few days ago, we told him not to harm them, but to tell us if they were getting close. He told us they would be here by the end of next week with several of her friends."

"I don't understand. She's not supposed to fight all of them by herself, is she?" The blonde explosives expert angrily inquired, looking at the peaceful garden. He'd never been through that door before, knowing that it was off limits to all Akatsuki members other than Leader-sama and Konan.

Flowers bloomed in the sunny patches of marked off ground. Short, stone barrier-fences kept the flowers from spreading further than they were wanted. Ivy climed the two trellises that framed the door. A bush grew in the center of the garden, surrounded by two benches. Each bench was in the shape of a semi-circle, meeting to form a complete circle around the plant. On the bush, bright red roses flourished their crimson petals. An ancient oak tree grew in the far corner of the garden, making Deidara wonder how long the garden had been in existence.

"Iie; instead, she is going to convince them to leave. Pein and I have decided that she is nowhere near strong enough to enter Akatsuki. We have known that since the day after you brought her here. She has potential, though. If that had been unlocked many years ago, she would have the strength enter, but she didn't tap into her power soon enough. That harms her ability to function in the high ranking missions that we take."

"So we're going to let her in anyway?" His confusion was apparent in his voice as he tried to work through what Konan was telling him.

She led him to one of the benches and motioned for him to sit with her. "Yes. She means very much to two of our top members, so she is going to be allowed entrance. Instead of being a fighter, though, she will train in medical ninjutsu."

Understanding dawned on the blonde then. "She's going to be the first medical Akatsuki nin."

Konan nodded. "She will learn to master the basics from Itachi, and from there, we will bring her books on the healing arts."

"Have you told her this yet?" Deidara smiled, knowing Hinata would be glad to know that she would be useful without having to kill.

"Not yet. I wanted to tell you first, and make sure you knew that she was staying with me as of now. That way, when she asks, I can tell her you agreed. She'll know you don't think I'll hurt her, at least." Konan's mouth stretched in a rueful half-smile.

Deidara winced slightly, remembering the girls' first meeting. "How are you going to convince her that you're not incredibly 'scary' and strict?" He wondered aloud.

"The same way she convinced me that she deserves kindness. I'll show it to her." Konan blinked slowly, turning to observe the flowers. He wondered if she had planted them, or if they had been here when the Akatsuki took over the building.

A thought suddenly struck him. "What about sleeping arrangements? She'll never get to sleep," he worriedly stated.

"What do you mean?"

"The Hyuuga doesn't feel comfortable sleeping by herself in the hideout. She's been sleeping on the opposite side of my bed for the past two weeks, and she did so with Itachi, also. It started when Leader-sama nearly choked her to death. Since then, she hasn't been comfortable sleeping alone."

Konan's eyes widened, betraying her look of anger at her spouse. "I'll speak with her. We're both girls, so she should at least feel more comfortable in a room with just her and myself. It'll be like a sleepover." A girlish look entered the bluenette's eyes, something Deidara had never seen before. It was like she was accomplishing a childhood goal that she'd never been given the chance to fulfill.

"Okay. As long as you're sure. Her allotted training time is almost up. Should we go find her?" The bomb expert inquired.

"No. You go back to your room and come find us in an hour or two. I don't want you around when I tell her she has to stay with me. She'll automatically look to you for approval, and she'll know you don't want this either."

"So how is this going to work? Will I still get to see her?" He asked, fervent with the need to know.

"You and Itachi will each be allowed to train her for an hour a day, and whatever other time she wants to spend with you will be up to her. I have given up my schedule for the week to care for her. The only other choice would be to kill her, and I wouldn't like to do that. Not after getting to know her through you boys."

Deidara looked at the mother-figure of the Akatsuki, wondering when she had become so fond of Hinata, but grateful all the same. Standing, he offered his hand to help her up. He then placed his hand on her shoulder in a gesture of sincere thanks and left for his room.

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Hinata had just finished training with Itachi when a strange look entered his eyes. "I'm not going to take you back to Deidara's room this time. I have orders to bring you to Konan today." He said, the odd look still present in his eyes.

"B-But Konan d-doesn't l-like me. Sh-She's-" Hinata paused, debating whether or not she wanted to admit it, then giving in, "v-very fr-frightening."

Itachi smiled softly, a rare look on his face. "I think you'll find that she is nothing like you know her to be."

Hinata studied him for a moment, deciding that he probably didn't think Konan would hurt her if he was smiling, then nodded and spoke timidly. "O-Okay."

He led her from the dungeon-like room and down the hall to where Konan's old room was located.

Standing outside, still as a statue, Konan stood watching for them. Upon seeing them, she pushed off from the wall and offered the shy Hyuuga a miniscule smile. "Hello, Hinata-san," she greeted.

Hinata responded likewise.

"I apologize for the first impression I must have left on you. I was having an off day, and I wasn't feeling too generous to a trainee Akatsuki recruit."

Wondering at the change in the origami specialist, Hinata thanked her for the apology almost silently.

"Feel free to ask me anything, especially if you need something. I promise I won't harm you while you are under my care. Actually, I have some wonderful news for you once we gain some privacy."

Apparently taking the hint, Itachi said farewell and left Hinata and Konan alone in the hall.

Motioning to the suddenly mute midnight haired female, Konan swept the door open and followed the younger woman inside. "I thought you might like to know what your position would be should you gain entrance to Akatsuki."

Hinata's eyes lit slightly upon hearing that she would be useful to the band of some of the most powerful people in the world. "H-How could I-I possibly b-be of a-any help t-to you?" She asked in wonder.

"We would like you to train as a medic nin. The basics, you would learn from Itachi. Anything more, we would bring you books from which you would learn. In Akatsuki, we don't have a medic, so sometimes healing from our missions takes far too long for our liking. We need a reliable medic within our ranks."

An inscrutable look passed over Hinata's face. "Wh-What if I-I don't pr-prove to be r-reliable?"

A look of slight greif passed across her new captor's face. "You will either be granted the highest form of memory block we can create, or you will die. It would be your choice. If you chose the memory blocking, however, we would have to send Zetsu to spy on you for several days each month, to make sure you didn't remember anything. I don't think he'd appreciate that much, but I told Pein that this plan was the only one I would allow.

"You truly could be a wonderful addition. I would hate to see your talents go to waste in Konoha," she finished quietly.

For the first time since Kurenai-sensei, Hinata felt attached to a female who was not related to her. Smiling slightly, she spoke. "Th-Thank you v-very much, K-Konan-sama. I-I appreciate wh-what you're d-doing to help me. Though I-I do h-have one qu-question; what w-will my loyalty t-test b-be if I-I'm n-not meant t-to be a k-killer?"

"Your friends have already shown up once to attempt to save you, but they turned around and left without making contact because they could find no way to get to you. They are returning by the end of this next week, and it will be your job to send them away. You will be written down in the Bingo Book as a missing nin and betrayer to your village, and hopefully, escape without it becoming a fight."

"A-And if i-it b-becomes a f-fight?" She worriedly wondered.

"Then you had better know your opponents well enough to win against them. They must leave Akatsuki territory without getting past you for you to pass."

Hinata's eyes wandered for a moment, taking in the room from her place at the door while trying to decide what choice she would make.

The walls were solid in color, a light purple that did not match the personality of the owner. The beds, doubles with black comforters that looked to be of the same material as the ones from her home, were against the wall in front of her on opposite ends of the room. Each had its own night stand with a small electric lamp on top.

To her right, a vanity sat against the wall, mirroring the one on her left. The right wall held what seemed to be the door to the bathroom.

A large, rectangular rug with the soft pattern of a garden in full bloom was spread out in the very center of the room, reaching to the bottom corner of each bed's foot.

A chest of drawers was built into the side of each vanity, large enough to hold the needed clothes of a person, but not so big that they were in the way.

Bringing herself back to the problem at hand, _Do I really want to join the Akatsuki?_ Konoha had so much to offer her, but so did Akatsuki.

There, she had her clan leadership position, though she could be replaced by her more successful sister, and her friends to support her. Here, she had the possibility to be needed for her skills, not because she was first in birth order, and two people who might love her. _Though I'm not sure about Itachi-sama._

There, she would not be considered a missing nin. Here, she would be in danger for the rest of her life. In Konoha, they had standards that were lived by, and she could be safe. In Akatsuki, she would live with mass murderers, possibly never safe again in her life.

In one home, she would have friends who judged her based on the past and the fact that she was the Hyuuga heiress. In the other, she would be trained as though she were any other person. In the latter place, no one would protect her just because she was a clan heiress. They would protect her –if they protected her– because they truly cared about her as a person.

One held her crush, who never once noticed her presence. The other also held her crush, who had acknowledged and kissed her.

One held a family who was not a family and did not care. The other held S-class missing ninja who were a family, cared about one another, and welcomed her as a newcomer.

Finally, she made a decision, hoping she wouldn't regret it. "I-I won't h-have to kill them, w-will I? If it d-does c-come to a f-fight." She wanted to make sure, however, before she agreed to the test.

If things went the way they were expected, she would never have to kill anyone after her test. Or even during her test. She would be groomed as a healer, not a killer. Should she ever come into contact with enemy ninja, she would not be expected to kill them, but to flee from them. No one could afford to lose their medical nin, no matter how novice.

The only reason she would be considered a betrayer would be that she was healing the enemy, not because she was killing her once-allies.

True to her thoughts, Konan told her that no killing would be necessary. "They will, however, be arriving by the end of the week. You have that long to decide whether you truly wish to be one of us or not."

Hinata opened her mouth to give an answer, but Konan held up a finger for her to keep her thoughts to herself. "Make no hasty decisions. Think about this for the week, because whatever you choose cannot be undone, no matter how much you regret it."

Hinata wisely nodded her head and paused, standing awkwardly in the doorway. "A-Ano, Konan-sama, which b-bed w-will I u-use?"

"The one on the left. I have always used the one to the right, so I believe it would be most comfortable for your body shape to sleep on the unused one."

Hinata nodded and moved toward 'her' bed. The bell around her ankle chimed, causing Konan to glance at her curiously. "What was that?"

"An a-anklet that D-Deidara gave t-to me during m-my f-first week h-here. H-He said it w-would make it e-easier for h-him to k-keep up w-with me if I-I had something on m-me th-that would m-make noise when I-I moved." She smiled at the piece of jewelry, wondering why she still needed it. Deidara had already told her that he fully trusted her not to run away.

Just the thought that a mass-murderer trusted her with his life made a blush dust itself across her face.

Konan smiled as though she knew the direction of the younger woman's thoughts. "Well, I'm glad he cared enough about you to give you that. He told me that he had kept that for years. It was a gift to him from his mother from all the way back to his great-grandmother, but he put it away so that he'd not have to remember her every time he saw it."

Eyes widening, Hinata looked worriedly into the other female's face. "I-I thought i-it was a worthless piece o-of jewlery th-that he stole fr-from a village and w-wanted to g-get rid of. Th-That's what h-he told m-me it w-was."

Konan looked confused for a moment. "He showed that bracelet to Pein and I the moment he joined Akatsuki and we asked him if there was anything to which he had an unneeded attachment." Her expression suddenly cleared, as though she had figured out why he told the Hyuuga what he did. "Pein performed a jutsu on him that day. He never told me what it did, or why, but he had done it to everyone except me. Now I see what it did. It took away any attachment that could harm the organization as a whole."

Suddenly, the anklet had much more meaning to Hinata than just a piece of jewelry given to her by someone she might come to love. It was a family heirloom, passed down to the female members of his family through generations.

Suddenly, she felt more loved than she could ever remember feeling before. He would still subconsciously have that memory, and be unwilling to part with it had he not cared about her. That realization gave her more solidity in her decision to stay.

She did not want to leave her newfound, caring family, so she would find a way to convince her friends to leave her there. She wouldn't give up until she did.

**(A/N: Hehehehehe! I love story progression. I'll admit that this part was hard to get through because it took me forever to figure out how she could possibly help the Akatsuki when she's had so little beneficial strength training (that they've had almost their whole lives) without seeming unrealistic. Then it finally hit me: medic! So yeah. 'Sakura started that kinda late, and look how she turned out' is my reasoning. I hope it makes sense and is moving forward at a good pace (i.e. not too fast and not too slow to be realistic). I also hope that you enjoyed this chapter and will review to let me know what you like/I need to fix. Ja ne!)**


	9. The Planning

**(A/N: Hi guys! I'm in a great mood today. I feel so well that I'm starting this the day after I posted the last chapter and getting a nice head start. Regular type is Zetsu's white side, and bold is his black side. I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 9

Moving as stealthily as possible, Neji, Naruto, and Kakashi ghosted through the undergrowth. There were only two days left until the end of the week, and they wanted to reach Hinata as soon as they possibly could. There was no telling what the Akatsuki had done to her in the time the three had wasted getting permission to rescue her.

Neji had been told not to activate his Byakugan until they arrived near where the hideout was so that he could conserve his chakra and energy. He had aquiesced because it would merely waste even more time to argue with his cell leader. Kakashi had seemed adamant, and Neji knew nothing would change his mind. _So why argue?_ He had thought.

"Are you sure the hideout is in this direction?" Naruto asked, already beginning to get caught up in the genjutsu.

Neji silently smacked his forehead in his mind before answering the blonde. "Kai," he whispered as he dispelled the tendrils of jutsu that had wrapped themselves around the blonde Kyuubi Jinchuriki.

The Uzumaki shook his head slightly. "Sorry, Neji. I wasn't paying attention," he said as rubbed the back of his head in shame.

The stoic Hyuuga merely sighed and nodded. "We need to keep our wits about us for this. Getting caught could be the difference between our lives and Hinata's death. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?" Hoping to scare him into paying attention, Neji decided to put the idea of Hinata's death into Naruto's head.

Eyes wide, the blonde glanced around him warily. "Iie, I'll do everything in my power to keep that from happening," he proclaimed

Neji nodded, smirking grimly. Now he knew why Tsunade-sama had allowed Naruto to come on this mission. He was willing to give everything to save his friends, no matter that it might cost him his dreams. "We're getting closer. I can feel the genjutsu's chakra getting stronger. We should reach the base by tomorrow afternoon if we stop to rest tonight."

"We should keep going! You said it yourself that we need to get there as soon as possible," Naruto protested, keeping his voice quiet so that he didn't draw unwanted attention to their group.

"Think, Naruto. We will be worn down from travel and our chakra will be lower than it would if we sleep. How can we help Hinata if we aren't even at full strength? We are barely a match for the Akatsuki at full strength, so how could we save her if we are tired?" Kakashi questioned, knowing that Naruto would consent to resting if it meant he could be stronger to save his friend.

Understanding hit the blue eyed Jinchuriki as his mind processed those questions. "Then let's go as far as we can tonight, so we'll rest up and not use so much energy tomorrow," he enthusiastically suggested.

"Now you're thinking, Naruto," his sensei agreed.

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A knock at the door brought the girls from their chatting. The elder of the two stood, crossed the room, and opened the door a crack to peak out.

Zetsu stepped from the far wall, appearing as the door slid open. "The ninja should be here by tomorrow afternoon. **Tell the girl she will need to be out by midmorning to stop them.**" He relayed the information.

"Good. You'll guide her to the correct spot, I assume? She is a terrible liar, so I will know if she does not meet with them," Konan warned.

"I'll take her to the right place, but the rest will be up to her. **Wish her luck, because she is going to need it,**" his black side rudely finished.

Konan nodded as though it were an everyday occurance that she had a conversation with two people in one body. She shut the door as the strange ninja melted into the floor below him.

"Zetsu will take you to the location of your friends by midmorning tomorrow," Konan addressed the younger woman in the room as she returned to sitting by the Hyuuga's side.

"O-Okay. Do y-you have anymore b-black nail polish? I-I need to finish p-painting my n-nails, but this bottle i-is out," Hinata explained.

Before the knock, they had been prepping the young Hyuuga woman for the meeting with her friends the next day. They had started by finding an entire black wardrobe. Then, Konan went to Deidara to borrow a cloak with their symbolic red clouds. She would make the needed alterations to the cloak to make it fit the petite Hyuuga girl, but no adjustment would be needed for the height because they were so similar.

After the necessary clothes had been gathered, Konan sat down on her bed and motioned for Hinata to do the same. The elder bluenette bent to look for her make up kit under her bed.

Finding it and bringing it into her lap, she unclasped the lock on it and pulled out a small vial of black nail polish. "This is the final touch. All our members wear this shade, and we want your friends to think you are already a part of our organization. If they knew that they were your entrance test, they would never give up no matter what you said."

Hinata nodded and took the bottle from the older woman. "Th-Thank you, Konan-san." After spending the week with the only other female Akatsuki, Hinata's stuttering had nearly disappeared and they had become much closer.

"Have you figured out how you are going to get them to leave tomorrow?" The elder woman questioned, worrying about her neweset 'daughter'.

"I-I've been practicing my speech, b-but I'm not sure how I'll r-react to everyone." She paused for a moment, debating her next question. Eventually, she spoke it. "D-Do you know who is on the t-team that has come to rescue me?"

Konan sighed, knowing that two of the people were some who could potentially convince her to leave with them. "I believe, from what Zetsu has described to me and Pein, that the team consists of your cousin, Neji, the Kyuubi boy, Naruto, and the copy ninja, Kakashi." She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the expression she knew would follow.

Hinata's eyes widened in panic and sorrow. Unshed tears shimmered in her eyes for the moment before she closed them. "I see. I'll h-have to change things, then."

Konan knew her plan had originally been to drop from the trees into their paths and convince them that she was no longer on their side by attacking Neji, whom she knew would be on the team. She hadn't counted on Naruto, though, so the elder blunette was worried. She listened to the younger girl sigh, finishing with her nails and closing the bottle of polish. The young Hyuuga bowed her head in thought, crossing her legs on the bed.

"It is almost time for your training with Deidara." Konan broke into her thoughts several minutes later. "Would you like me to tell him you need to skip it to think over your plan?"

"No! Thank y-you, Konan-san, b-but I need to talk with him for a l-little while." She smiled at the older woman, then sat silently for a few moments. "A-Actually, I-I have a question. Don't answer if y-you feel I'm invading your p-privacy, but," she broke off, taking a deep breath, "are you and Leader-sama married?"

Konan's eyes narrowed as she debated whether to tell the girl or not. "If I tell you anything more about this organization than you already know, you will no longer have the option of leaving. If you fail your initiation, then you will lose your life. Are you okay with that?" She replied darkly, wishing that the choice did not have to be made.

It was an agreement she had made with her husband a few days after she had met the petit Hyuuga.

"Konan, if she knows too much about us, and we ransom her off, she could destroy our organization with just a word!" Pein had explained.

"Then we will keep that destructive information away from her until we know she wants to become a part of us."

"Yes, but if she fails her initiation? She will still have the choice to go home. We can't let her leave if she comes into contact with that information."

"Then we will simply tell her of the consequences, should she decide to ask dangerous questions." Konan's solution was agreed upon, and every member learned of it. If anyone were to disclose the information, they would be punished, though none knew what the punishment was, exactly. It had never been divulged.

A thoughtful look entered the Hyuuga heiress's eyes as she tried to decide whether it was worth knowing. Konan watched her eyes clear as her decision was made. "I don't ever want to forget my time here with you and the Akatsuki. There were many times when I was scared out of my mind, but there are so many good things here, too. Even if I did fail to convince my friends to leave, I don't think I could return to Konoha as peaceful, little Hinata." She closed her eyes, as though she didn't want to seen Konan's face when she spoke her last sentence. "I want to know. I am prepared for the death that may follow."

Konan nodded. "Are you sure?" When the other girl's head bobbed, Konan began to speak. "Pein and I married several years ago, but no one in the organization even knows about it other than Itachi, who found out through our carelessness. We should have realized that he would observe us and put two and two together. Especially with his eyes. I knew that you probably would too, but you needed to get away from both Itachi and Deidara for a little while. Which of them are you going to choose when you pass your initiation exam?"

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Hinata blinked at the sudden change in topic. "I don't know. Deidara is so kind to me, and I care for him so much, but Itachi saved my life and made me feel safe with him. I care for them both, but I don't know whom I love."

A knowing smile passed across the origami mistress's face. "You just don't want to cause either of them pain. I understand completely, but you will hurt both of them by not deciding. Those boys are like children to me. I love them all as dearly as a mother, and whichever of them you chose, I know you will be a wonderful wife. When the time comes, that is."

A blushed chased the paleness from Hinata's face as Konan spoke. "I don't want to hurt them, especially since you think so fondly of them. Itachi-sama has already told me that he loves me, but Deidara-san kissed me. What do you think I should do, Konan-san?"

"Follow your heart in this. The Akatsuki are big boys. They can deal with pain in ways that normal men can't. I know whomever your choose will be very happy."

Hinata thought for a moment. "I'm glad I'm finally getting to see what's beneath the rocky exterior of the Akatsuki. You are all really kind people, but no one would ever know it."

"There's a reason we're S-class criminals, Hinata. Don't forget that." The blunette responded sharply. "Just a word of warning. We can't afford to be kind to the world because we are the rejects of civilization. We show our kindness here, but are otherwise heartless. Please remember that."

The Hyuuga nodded, slightly taken aback by the sudden change in her roommate. A knock on the door saved her from having to respond to that statement, however.

Taking her cue from Konan, Hinata stood to answer the door. Standing in the hall, Deidara motioned for her to get ready for training.

"I'll be r-right out." She responded, turning back to the origami mistress and relaying the message as she grabbed her weapon's pouch.

As she left the room and closed the door, Deidara greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "You seem kind of downtrodden today, yeah. What's wrong, hm?" He asked, expertly reading her mood from her final moments of conversation with Konan.

"Ah, it's nothing. I was just thinking, and now I'm having trouble returning to real life." She lied. _What else could I say? 'Oh, I was just reminded that you're all kind here, but actually, you're all heartless murderers.' I couldn't say that. It's really hard to believe about him._

The look on his face told Hinata that Deidara didn't believe her, but she supposed he was allowing her some privacy because he changed the subject. "I heard from Zetsu that your test will be tomorrow morning, mm. Is there anything you need to get or want to say before you go?"

"A-Anou… I want to hear your opinion on my plan. If that's okay with you, I mean." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other in apprehension.

"I'd love to hear it, yeah. That way we can make sure there are no flaws, right, hm?" He smiled enthusiastically, waiting for her to speak.

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Konan allowed a bitter smile to grace her lips. She knew that their possible new recruit had a long, difficult road ahead of her if she passed her admission test. Two of the most competitive men in the organization were potentially in love with her, and there was no way she would be given a choice.

Konan was no fool. She had known from the beginning that Hinata would have no choice in the matter of whom she loved. Her advice was ultimately useless to the younger girl.

The elder bluenette was more worried about how the one who lost her would react. It would mean that man had lost to his rival, and Konan didn't know how an outright loss, especially in love, would cause either of them to react.

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Itachi's anger was chilling. Despite Konan's claim that Hinata would be allowed to train with both himself and Deidara for only one hour a day and the rest of the time spent with her would be of her own volition, he knew Deidara wasn't playing by the rules.

Deidara walked by the girls' room every free moment he had, and everyone in the Akatsuki knew that Hinata would never say no to anyone.

Itachi's free time was usually far less than that of Deidara's, simply because the Uchiha was an older member. Every time Itachi walked by her room, she was no where to be found, and Konan gave him a pitying stare.

He hated that look. Dispised it, even. And far worse were the victorious grins on the blonde explosive expert's face every time they came into contact with one another.

It was simply infuriating to a point that Itachi had never before reached.

_But_, he reconcilled with himself, _I will find a way to make her mine._

That vow allowed him to smirk as he watched Deidara pass him, Hinata walking animatedly by his side as she spoke.

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Hinata was exhausted. She had trained with Itachi earlier that day, and then proceeded to train with Deidara. He told her to go to her room and shower, then meet him back in the hall to grab some lunch.

When she walked into the room she shared with Konan, she noticed something was slightly amiss. The rug's corner was curled in on itself slightly, so she kicked it back with her foot. Wondering why Konan had allowed it to stay like that, Hinata noticed that that woman was not in the room.

_Their trust in me must be growing. When I first got here, I would have been glad that I would have information for my village. Now, however, I feel honored. I could never betray them now._ She thought to herself, marvelling at the change that had taken place in her heart.

Walking to the bathroom, she shed her clothes and showered, taking care not to scrub the black polish off her nails.

After allowing the water to cascade past her eyelids for a few extra moments, she shut off the water and stepped out of the watery encasement.

Her eyes flicked around the room in search of a towel, finding the pitch black one that Konan had indicated was the Hyuuga's.

She left the bathroom after donning her clothes, wondering where her elder could be when she found the room still empty.

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Sitting in her garden and inhaling the fragrant air, Konan pondered Hinata's situation. Right at that moment, Hinata was probably showering after her training and getting ready to go to the kitchen with Deidara.

The blonde had surely invited her before the Uchiha could even reach her.

Deidara was more experienced with emotions than Itachi. The latter was better at cold blooded murder than saying anything like an 'I love you'.

The bluenette knew it was Deidara whom the young Hyuuga would _choose_, but she didn't know if the girl would be allowed any choice at all. Earlier, the origami specialist would have assumed not, but now she wasn't so sure.

Had anyone bothered to read the rules of their hideout, they would have found that, stated under rule twelve, article three, any member of Akatsuki who falls in love with the same woman as another member of Akatsuki will rely on the choosing of that woman as to whom she would like to be with.

She had forced Pein to add that part, in case the need ever arose. Her husband had argued with her that they were all mass murderers. Who would be twisted enough to fall in love with them? He had been certain that none of the Akatsuki would ever even fall in love.

But he had added the rule as a precaution, just to make her happy.

When that memory suddenly hit her earlier that morning, after Hinata had left, Konan had to wonder whether it was fate that she had nearly forced her husband into making that a rule, whether she had somehow known that it would be needed. Whether it had been just for Deidara, Hinata, and Itachi that she was thinking, she hadn't a clue.

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Hinata's eyes flew open when she heard the door slide past its frame. She leapt from the bed, where she had taken an impromptu nap to get over her nervousness. Raising one hand, her right dropped to her kunai pouch. "Ah, Konan-san. I-I didn't realize it was y-you." She straightened as she saw her roommate standing in the doorway.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, Hinata-san. I just wanted to hand you our rulebook. Should you make it tomorrow, you may want to read the rules. You will be at a disadvantage because of your gender and your fighting capabilities, so you will need to find an upper hand with some of the more abrasive members. You do not, necessarily, need to memorize the rules to follow them, but more to threaten to tell Pein if you see someone else _not_ following them."

"W-Why do you say that?" Hinata questioned, thinking she had caught the older woman's drift, but wanting to be sure.

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"If you deal with Zetsu any, you will be overpowered by him in all catagories except healing. Healers, to most of us, are more replacable than our fighters. They might attempt to bribe, maim, or harm you in some other way. How will you get out of that situation if neither I nor Pein are around? There is nothing we can do to anyone for harming you unless you have a witness or one of us. If they kill you, the entire organization will be punished. But how could you keep from getting hurt? Threaten to report any behavior inconsistant with the rules. You don't like to fight, so let us fight for you." Konan offered, ultimately knowing the girl would memorize the rules, but probably never threaten the other members.

She made a mental note to make sure Deidara or Itachi were with her for most of her stay in Akatsuki for her first several months after initiation.

"B-But why are you all b-bending over backwards to make s-sure I become a member? W-Why do you care so much?" The young ex-heiress demanded demurely.

Konan hadn't thought about that. Deciding that she would admit her own reasoning, she spoke. "Deidara loves you. If he lost you, what would happen? Do you think I'm eager to find out? Remember that I told you I think of myself as their mother, so I wouldn't want to harm my children. Actual mothers aquiesce to their children's demands more often than I, but in a matter this large, I would do countless things to keep them happy. Pein himself would also, because he wants me to be happy."

She watched Hinata nod, seemingly deep in thought. "And if I don't make it? How will you kill me and keep them happy?" She asked unguardedly, her eyes showing her fear of failure and hope of success.

"That's why I'm counting on you to pass." The elder blunette simply stated, motioning to the younger. "Were you napping?" She asked, wanting to change their conversation before it grew morbid.

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"Hai, I-I wanted to make tomorrow hurry up. Sleep is the b-best way to pass the time, as far as I'm c-concerned." The girl smiled softly, thinking back on the days when she would go to sleep at night, eager to dream of the Uzumaki boy.

Now her dreams were filled with a different blonde haired boy – or rather, man.

"It is nearly dinner time, so you should straighten your hair to head down to the kitchen." Konan urged.

"Okay." Running her brush through her midnight locks of hair, she proceeded past Konan down the hall. Her stride was more comfortable and confident than it had ever been in Konoha, she realized belatedly.

The Akatsuki was changing her, making her more assertive, and Hinata realized that she liked the new her. In several years' time, she struggled to picture herself as outgoing and loud as the men in the organization, but she thought it might be nice to be able to finally express herself.

It was nearing eight o'clock when Hinata and Konan made their way back to their rooms. The ones who cared for those two had all made themselves known at dinner, and soon after dinner Deidara, Itachi, Pein, and the girls had made their way to the living room.

They had stayed in that room for an hour, the expressive ones among them laughing and joking around. It was a stark contrast to the Hyuuga Compound, and Hinata was thankful for it. That the expressionless ones even appeared at all made the night even better.

She knew she had the support of the leader, second in command, and two men who loved her. There was no way she could fail.

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Awakening in the grey hours before dawn, Hinata gathered her black clothes and cloudy cloak, ghosting swiftly into the bathroom and sliding the door silently shut.

She checked her nails, making sure the black paint wasn't chipped, then donned the large brown hat she had been given. The simple tassels swayed as she moved, blocking bits of her vision, but she wouldn't need to fight in the hat, merely negociate and look the part of an Akatsuki.

Her hair, pulled into a high bun inside the hat, was hidden from view. Looking in the mirror, she didn't even recognize herself. The only thing that would define her as herself were her eyes. The Hyuuga nearly panicked when she realized, nearly missing the pair of sunglasses set on the sink.

Spotting them, though, she lifted them off the counter and slid them over her eyes. The world was only slightly darker than before, and she silently thanked Konan for their tinted lenses.

Making her way out of that room, Hinata was unsurprised to find Konan already awake and leaning against the wall. "Good luck today, Hinata-san," she said as she bowed her head for a short moment before looking her opposite in the eyes again.

"Thank you for everything, Konan-san. If I fail, I'd like you to tell Itachi and Deidara that I love them both. And that I wouldn't trade this time with you all for anything. Especially not to have my old life back or live longer. The time I spent with you all is so precious to me." Hinata bowed at the waist, her height cut in half.

Konan kicked off the wall, raising Hinata from the bow, and wrapped her arms around the surprised girl for a mere moment before disappearing to open the door.

Thoroughly surprised, Hinata all but missed her name being called. Nearing the door, she found Zetsu awaiting her presence.

"I am under orders to lead you to your ex-friends**, and kill you if you try to escape.** If you fail,** I'll kill you.** Only if you succeed in keeping them away from our organization will you live. **I hope you fail.**"The dark side of Zetsu grinned, while his white side frowned. "That was rude," was his simple half-apology.

Konan also frowned, but seemed brushed the comment aside. "Are you ready, Hinata-san?"

"Hai," was the Hyuuga's stiff reply. "I'm ready."

Zetsu turned and began to walk away, expecting her to follow immediately. Pulling her hat down over her sunglasses, Hinata took one last look at Konan before she turned and followed her Zetsu away from the building.

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"We're getting closer!" Naruto whispered excitedly. They were so close to finding and rescuing their friend.

"Neji, about how much longer do you think we have before someone figures out we're near their hideout?" Kakashi questioned, relying on the other boy's Byakugan for the moment.

"They probably already know. I have a feeling we'll be meeting their welcoming party soon. Be prepared at all moments from here on out," the chocolate haired boy warned, specifically addressing Naruto with a glare.

"Right," both males agreed, moving into a more maneuverable traveling stance.

They moved closer to the far-off building, but Neji's warning gave them pause several minutes later. "Wait, I sense someone approaching," he quietly spoke.

"How many?" The nearly silent reply was given by Kakashi.

"Only one, it looks like. That must mean he's powerful. Get ready. He'll be here shortly."

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Hinata felt their chakra signatures ahead of her. As soon as Zetsu realized she could find them on her own, he sank into the ground. "Good luck, **try not to die,**" he said as his body and chakra faded from her sight.

She took a deep breath, knowing she was heading toward her new enemies and trying to come to terms with that fact. She plunged through the undergrowth, knowing that Neji could now see her.

**(A/N: Hehe! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm sorry about the cliff hanger. These past weeks have been hectic. I thought I was getting a head start, but I wasn't. I still had to stay up to finish this. But at least it's out. Finals and my AP exam are coming up soon, so I won't have as much time to type, but I'll still get this next chapter out on time. Don't worry. (: Anyway. R&R if you'd care to, tell me what you liked or didn't like and whatnot. I'm sleepy, so goodnight all!)**


	10. The Convincing

**(A/N: So. Hinata is so far out of character in this chapter that it's not even funny anymore. But in my defense, I think she could change the way she acts in a heart beat if it meant that she would be able to save someone she loved. This is just a heads up. XD I couldn't think of any other way to make it happen. **

**SPOILER!: And as for Itachi, we all know the only reason he killed the clan was because it was an order from the Hokage, and he defied orders by leaving his brother alive. He even killed his fiancee. There's got to be some serious caring going on there. So obviously {to me} Itachi has just buried all his feelings [DEEP down] and he's very passionate about those he loves. Otherwise, he wouldn't have defied orders to kill ALL the Uchihas. :END SPOILER**

**Well. You know. Since I've completely twisted all the characters' personalities to suit my story [ya know, since it IS ItaHinaDei and Akatsuki don't love] let's just say that all of them are unreasonably OOC. But that's what makes this interesting, right?... Right?... Okay. I'm wrong. But still. Effort counts for something? XD Read and review please!**

**Is my reasoning okay, or does it seem faulty to you guys? I can't really tell, ya know, cause I'm a bit biased. XD But either way: Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, because if I did, I wouldn't have to apologize for butchering their characters. I could just be like "they're supposed to be that way!")**

Mysterious Captivation Chapter 10

"Make sure you're prepared." Kakashi warned them. "The person coming to meet us is going to be adamant at keeping us away from Hinata."

"Right," the other two responded before Neji realized that something was wrong.

"Wait. It's not an Akatsuki approaching, it's Hinata-sama!" Very nearly dropping his guard and rushing to meet her, Neji let his battle stance fall slightly.

"Hold on, Neji. Something fishy is going on here," Naruto pondered. "If she's out here by herself, then they are either threatening her, or she's not really alone."

This gave Neji pause. He lifted his arms again, watching as Hinata's chakra system leapt to the ground beneath the red-clouded cloak of the Akatsuki.

Recoiling more than a bit, the chocolate haired Hyuuga spoke. "Hinata-sama, what are you doing wearing the cloak of the enemy?" He exclaimed.

"The enemy? I'm not sure what you mean. My enemies do not wear cloaks, they wear hitai-ates similar to the ones you all are wearing," she paused for a moment. "Oh, my. It seems that they are not just similar, they are exactly the same." Hinata hummed, as though she were pondering what she should do.

"Hinata-sama, you have to return with us to Konoha before the Akatsuki catch you," Naruto demanded, stepping forward and offering her his hand.

Noting her lack of blush and stutter, Kakashi motioned Naruto back. "Explain yourself." He ordered.

"What's to explain, Kakashi-san? Are your eyes failing you, or are you already blind?" She crowed with laughter at his shocked expression before narrowing her eyes. "I won't let you pass any further."

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She had to make them believe her. She had to make them think she had been corrupted, lost to them forever. As much as it hurt for her to treat her fellow ninja –no, they were no longer her comrades; she had given them up – the way she was, she knew it was necessary.

In a moment of clarity several mornings ago, she had realized that to act evil would not convince them that she was lost. She would have to truly believe it herself.

She had gone to Konan and Itachi for help. Konan, because that woman would help her shut out her former ties with her companions. Itachi, because that man would help her speak cruel words to her loved ones.

**Flashback**

"Itachi-san, how did you say such awful words to Sasuke-san? You let him live because you loved him too much to kill him, but you still nearly destroyed him with your words. How did you manage it?" Hinata implored for his knowledge.

"It was for his own good. If I hadn't done that, he may have tried to forgive me and rationalize with me later on. He also needed to gain strength. If you want to keep someone away, you have to say cruel things." The eldest Uchiha replied, knowing his lesson would be the hardest for her to swallow, and regretting that he had to be the one to teach her.

"How could I possibly be cruel? I don't even remember a time when I spitefully made fun of someone," she honestly confessed.

"You have to put your own feelings aside to protect those whom you love." The statement, delivered without the slightest hint of emotion, was followed by a slight softening of his eyes. Knowing that his emotions had been supressed to keep the guilt at bay, and that he would keep them supressed for that very reason, Hinata frowned in concentration to end their discussion.

She watched as Kakashi, Neji, and Naruto clones flew through the window, Itachi's attempt to catch her off guard. "You'll pass no further," she told them.

Animating them with his chakra, Itachi allowed the Konoha nin clones to speak as though they were real. "You have to come back with us! Everyone is really worried about you," the Naruto clone pleaded.

Nearly breaking down and agreeing, Hinata's resolve faultered.

"This is going to take a lot of practice, Hinata-san. Are you willing to work on this for several hours in these next few days?"

**End Flashback **

Her training had paid off. She had prepared herself to cruelly rid herself of her family and friends forever.

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Turning to Kakashi and Neji, Naruto spoke quietly so that Hinata wouldn't hear. "This can't be Hinata. This is either a henge or someone has messed with her mind. What are we going to do?"

"What if something happened to Hinata-sama and now she thinks she can't come home with us?" Neji questioned, wondering at the change in his cousin's personality in the period since she had been kidnapped. It had been over a month since he had spoken to her, and he wondered what they had done to her in that length of time.

Growling aloud, he spoke again. "What if they threatened her with us? Maybe they told her they would kill us if she didn't make us leave."

Kakashi silently shook his head. "There's no way that could have caused such a personality shift in her. She's desperate for us to leave, even to the point where she's willing to hurt all of us. That in itself should be enough for us to be wary. Especially because she would be up against all three of us in a fight, and most importantly Naruto."

"What are we going to do, though? We can't fight her because we might hurt her!" Narrowing his eyes, Neji shoved Naruto to the ground, barely saving him from the kunai that had missed his forehead by centimeters.

"Are you done chatting it up over there?" Hinata mocked, holding out her hand with her fingers straight out and bringing the four together with her thumb in a 'talking' motion. "I'm ready for you all to leave, now."

"Why are you doing this, Hinata-sama?" Neji demanded. "We're here to help you,"

"Why, you ask? Simply because I don't care to return. I'm thrilled to be with the Akatsuki. They treat me with a great deal more respect than anyone else I've ever encountered. They can also make me far more powerful than any of you weaklings. In the time that I have been here, I have learned more than I ever thought possible in Konoha. Why should I return?" Hinata carelessly flipped to the ground, flinging several shuriken from her pouch.

The only one to follow that movement was Kakashi because of his Sharingan. One of the stars drew a thin line across Neji's cheek, and the other lodged itself into Naruto's shoulder. Hinata merely laughed.

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Having to hurt the people she loved was killing her inside, but she had to convince them that she would not leave with them.

She really did care for the Akatsuki more than she would have thought possible. That wasn't what was truly keeping her there, though. Other than the fact that she loved two of the members, it was the fact that most of them cared for her in return.

To an outsider, it would seem that the Akatsuki had no familial connections, nor bonds of friendship or even acquaintances. To Hinata, now that she had lived with them and seen the inner workings of the organization, they were intricately tied to one another in a precarious balance located somewhere between brothers and enemies.

And they were gaining a sister, daughter, and possible wife.

Even if her loves for Deidara and Itachi didn't work out, she would still have her brothers to support her. She knew that after spending an extended amount of time with them, they would begin to see her as family.

Their care would be unconditional until death. She would be needed, irreplacable to nearly all of the members. That was why she had decided to stay.

She humanized the Akatsuki.

But to live to see the next sunrise, she had to get rid of her connections to the Leaf Village.

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"You will be considered a traitor to our village if we let you keep talking like that," Naruto shouted, for the first time feeling his anger boil over at the typically shy, feeble heiress. "There's no way you could abandon Konoha! You're too nice. The Hinata I know would have meekly followed us and not argued at all! Now, you're just pathetic," he spat, eyes burning a furious ocean blue.

Watching her step falter slightly, Neji felt slightly proud of the idiotic blonde. Only the Uzumaki could have that kind of affect on his cousin, and he didn't even know it. All Naruto had to do would be insult Hinata, and she would blush, possibly pass out, and they could be on their way home and forget all the words she had spoken.

Neji was physically pushed backwards by the stunning smile that she crooked at the boy. "And you thought that would make me sob and come crawling back to your way of thinking? Wow, what a wasted effort," she giggled. "For a moment there, I thought about going back. I haven't felt that indecisive since my last training session with Itachi-kun."

Kakashi's eyes widened, not just at the fact that she had trained with the legendary elder Uchiha, but also at the suffix she added to his name. "Just how do you expect us to believe that you were allowed to train with Itachi?"

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"Don't be rude!" Hinata ordered, her voice rising an octave. "He should be treated with respect. But to answer your question, what reason would there be for my lying? You don't honestly think I'm your weak little Hinata anymore, do you? Unlike you three, I have been gaining strength since the week after the moment I was captured," she lectured.

"We aren't going to just leave you here, despite what you say. Either we must bring you back willingly, or beat you into submission," Kakashi claimed as he watched her eyes, waiting for the fear that he knew would arise.

He was disappointed, however, when a blonde Akatsuki with grey-blue eyes literally dropped out of the sky.

Turning to Neji, Kakashi demanded to know why they hadn't known ahead of time. "He arrived in my blind spot," was the whispered reply.

"Ne, Hinata-chan, un! Are you almost done here, yeah?" He inquired, completely relaxed, with his back to the Konoha ninja.

Hinata replied with a short bark of laughter. "Of course I am! How could I possibly take too much longer. They're just insignificant little bugs."

The blonde Akatsuki bent slightly to press a kiss to both of her cheeks as a late greeting, which was reciprocated. Clearing his throat in what Kakashi knew to be anger, Neji spoke up. "What do you think you're doing, you fool?" He remonstrated.

"Greeting my good friend," he indicated the girl slightly behind him, "and receiving a greeting in return, un. How about you, hm? What are you doing, yeah?"

Kakashi would have laughed at the off-balanced look that Neji wore, but he was worried at the new addition to their party. His eyes widened at the sentence next spoken by the blonde. "Well, I'll see you later, Hina-chan! Don't take too long, mm," he nagged, smiling slightly as he kissed her forehead.

"Aa, ja ne, Deidara-san. I'll be along shortly." Pointedly glaring at Naruto, the ex-Iwagakure ninja pressed hands together in a gesture too quick to follow and leapt onto the back of the newly appeared clay bird.

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All three Konoha nin turned their eyes upward to make sure he left. Neji, with his Byakugan active, was the only one to catch Hinata's slight glance toward one of her kunai.

As his gaze shifted, he watched a smile flit across her face and knew that she had meant for it to be that way. His eyes narrowed, but he knew his cousin. He would play along until it got dangerous – _for her, that is._

"We should fall back for the day," Neji suggested, getting ready to back himself up before they could speak. "She might just need to think on what we've said for the night," his quietly spoken words were accepted by the team and repeated more loudly.

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Hinata agreed to their terms: she would return to Akatsuki for the night, and they would stay away from the hideout.

She nearly weapt with relief as she realized that Neji would go along with her plan and not share anything with the other two. Then again, she knew he would do that. It was why she had decided to tell only him the truth.

Someone had to know the real reason she was staying. Then, in the years to come, they could share it, and she could be known as less of an enemy and more of a strong woman.

She would have an escape plan, should it ever be needed.

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With his Byakugan, he read the small note that had been attached to the kunai she had thrown. It was too small for normal human eyes to read, but his chakra-filled gaze was sharp, discerning, and could clearly see the kanji written.

_Meet here at midnight._

His first thought briefly wondered if it was a trap. His second, whom she would bring. Then he realized that she was still his cousin. When he told his team they should back off for the day, he watched her eyes soften, making her seem more like the girl whom he had known.

She wouldn't call him back to kill him. There must have been a reason.

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"Well. What are we going to do for the rest of the day? We can't go any further into the woods, and we can't wander around looking for food or supplies with the possibility of the Akatsuki in this forest. We can't train, either, because we don't want to call attention to ourselves," Naruto whined a half hour later. "I'm bored."

Kakashi sighed, knowing this was a normal part of missions with the Kyuubi-inhabited boy, and wondering how Neji would deal with it.

Neji rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger, then spoke. "Grow up," he merely stated in his most scathing tone. "We are on a mission that could very well end our lives, and you are saying that you're bored? You exasperate me," he snapped.

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Several hours later, after talking with Deidara, Hinata met up with Itachi for training.

"How well do you believe that went?" He questioned emotionlessly.

"I think your teaching paid off. Only Neji-nii-san was convinced that I was myself and not one of you under henge. The others only believed him because he can see chakra." Hinata gave him a bitter-sweet smile.

They sat in silence for several moments before Itachi suddenly spoke again, this time with a worried tinge in his question. "Do you understand the true import of your actions today?"

Hinata paused, surfacing from her deep thoughts, and frowned. "I do. Though my reasons were far less noble than your own, I have betrayed my village, gravely injured those I care for, and possibly made several hundred new enemies by abandoning my village. I will have no home to turn to should I leave Akatsuki, and I shall be considered a missing, wanted, S-class criminal now. I will be unable to fight the ANBU who will be sent on missions to kill me, as I will not be able to match their strength.

"But I have also gained a family who cares because I am me, not because I am heiress. I have gained acceptance, and a place where I can help instead of hinder. I will be the medic here; I will eventually be needed, irreplaceable, once everyone accepts that I am one of you." Hinata vowed passionately, never before having the feeling of belonging that she had obtained upon being told she would be an Akatsuki.

"Can you honestly tell me that you can go into battle to fight and kill your friends?"

The thought cut to the center of her heart, but she knew that there would be a time when it would happen. "I cannot. But I can tell you that I would delay them. I would injure them and render them immobile until they became less of a threat. Should one of the Akatsuki fighters come along, I would not hinder them. Neither would I help though. I can honestly tell you that I have thought through every possible situation my mind could come up with and have no less desire to become a part of this organization."

"The world outside will be a much darker place with you hiding away from it." The unexpected kindness in his voice broke the wall that she had been holding in place since the moment she woke up that morning.

Her eyes filled with crystalline tears; she tried to blink them back, but she couldn't. Falling to her knees, the ex-Hyuuga heiress sobbed.

Feeling warmth envelope her body, she leaned into Itachi. "I-I'm s-sorry. Th-This h-horrid d-display of e-emotion m-must be p-pitiful, b-but I-I can't h-help i-it. I-I'm going t-to m-miss th-them s-so m-much! I-I can't st-stand th-the th-thought o-of h-hurting th-them!" She wept into his shoulder.

He stroked her hair with one hand and held her body close to him as she cried with his other.

Leaning down to cover her body with his own, he whispered comfortingly in her ear for a period of time during which she lost count of the minutes. He told her how he had managed to live with himself after he killed all the members of his clan. The worst, he told her, was how to live with himself after making his beloved brother hate him.

Gradually, listening to how he had managed to move on from his anger and guilt, Hinata began to calm and the shudders wracking her body began to decline.

"It's going to be okay. Whether you believe it right now or not, you will be okay in the future, as long as you don't forget who you are and why you made this decision. If you ever need reminding, I will help you no matter what." He lifted the hand resting on her head and gently wiped the tears from her cheek with his thumb.

The Hyuuga sniffled, pulling her hands away from their confinement between herself and the Uchiha, and raising them to wrap around his neck. "Y-Your words m-mean more t-to me than y-you could e-ever know. Who was th-there for y-you when you w-went through th-this?"

The elder Uchiha's scarlet eyes shifted from her opalesque ones to the ground. "No one, until I shared with Konan-san how I came to leave Konoha. Did you know she thinks of us as her children?" He altered the subject; she knew he was unwilling to talk about his past when it would not help her to get over her pain.

"I did," Hinata gave Itachi another small smile. "I love the fact that the Akatsuki cares more about each other than the Hyuuga clan. It's like having a real family for once."

Itachi merely chuckled and responded, "Only we are a lot more destructive when we argue. You should have seen Hidan and Kakuzu when they first found out neither could kill the other. It was a blood bath for a week."

Hinata knew that he was trying to lighten her mood, but her sense of hilarity was not yet skewed enough to find it as funny as her friend apparently had.

He seemed to realize this, though, and he joked, "I would tell you that it will come eventually, the twistsed humor, but I'm not sure that would be a comfort. Honestly, I'm not sure it will even happen to you. You bring out the best in all of us, you know."

Hinata's smile widened slightly. "I told my cousin to meet me back where I found them earlier at midnight tonight."

Itachi's eyes widened in worry. "Why? What if he tries to kill you because you won't go back with them?" He tried to make his tone neutral, but after sitting with the previously crying girl for over half an hour, he couldn't hide his love.

"He won't harm me. He's my cousin, and moreover, he has been my protector since I was only three. Loyalty to me will come before that to the village. He has been protecting me longer than Konoha. I trust him."

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"You also trust Konan, Leader-sama, Deidara, and I, which may be a mistake on your part." He wondered if that would scare her away, but sincerely doubted it since he had heard her well-thought out reasons for staying.

"No, I know exactly who you are, and I know for a fact that I would have no regrets should you betray me. The same can be said for my cousin." Hinata demurred.

"At least let me follow you so that I can help if you need me," Itachi urged, silently praying that she would allow it and giving her the nearest thing to puppy dog eyes that the silent assassin could manage without destroying his pride.

Here, Hinata faltered, knowing she would have to tell him something else, also. "D-Deidara told me he would follow me no matter if I agreed or disagreed. You may do the same if you can stand being around him for that long. I cannot stop you." Her eyes shuttered slightly, revealing less emotion to the Uchiha.

He knew she was backing away from him, afraid of his reaction to the explosives idiot and his brash personality. He knew she thought he would be mad that she had told him first. And she was right about being afraid, but he wouldn't let her know that. He **was** all of that, but he could get over himself.

He knew that she trained with him first, so he should have known she would tell the ex-Iwa nin when she went to train. Same as she did with himself.

"I'll put up with him," he growled, not willing to let her go out alone with the blonde in the middle of the night.

Hinata's smile was hesitant, but well worth holding in his anger.

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Night was falling, and she had told Konan where she was going, what she was doing, and that her two male protectors were following her.

That woman had given her permission to go, and would make sure the rest of the organization knew also.

"Be careful, Hinata-chan, yeah. You don't know whether he kept your secret or not, hm. What if he attacks you, un?" Deidara worried, moving alongside her as they nearly flew through the darkness of the forest.

His head whipped around at a mocking noise from Itachi. "That's why I'm here. Baka," insult was added to Deidara's pride's injury.

"I can't stand you, mm."

"The feeling is mutual."

"Please don't fight," of course, the most stubborn, hateful men in the Akatsuki were the ones who were the nicest to her. None of her friends could ever get along.

She thought of Shino and Kiba and their opposite, clashing personalities, but immediately brought herself from her musings when she heard a twig crack impatiently below her.

"Neji-nii-san is here already. Stay up here and away from him, no matter what it looks like. Unless I call, that is," she demanded, even though it felt strange to be telling the two superior ninja what to do.

Both agreed before glaring at each other and moving to opposite sides of the clearing.

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_I guess I was wrong about her. She really is planning an attack. _Neji thought, watching her confer with two men in Akatsuki cloaks before they met each other's eyes and moved to opposite sides of the clearing.

He watched his cousin pause for a moment and slip from the tree to the ground in one fluid motion.

"Shoushi*, Hinata-sama," he greeted warily in his formal manner, wondering where the other two men were. He had shut off his Byakugan mere moments before Hinata had dropped to the ground, hoping that if he didn't acknowledge the attack, it wouldn't happen.

"It is, Neji-nii-san," she replied, equally formal and wondering why his eyes were shifting around the clearing. "You might as well know that I have two other Akatsuki members with me," she rolled her eyes visibly. "They think they're my protection detail," she admitted with a smile.

"Are you going to attack me?" He decided that he would bluntly question her motive for calling him out in the middle of the night.

She looked shocked and affronted. "Of course not, Neji-nii-san! Why would I want to hurt you?"

"You can drop the 'normal' act, Hinata-sama. I'm not stupid. There is no way you could change from the person you were earlier back into the old Hinata without some trigger," he alluded to the fact that he thought someone else had come to meet them earlier.

A strange look that Neji had never seen before entered her eyes. "That was me. Aren't I a good actor when I'm desperate?" She attempted a laugh, but it came out as more of a sob. "I'm going to miss you, Neji-nii-san. And Hanabi-chan, too." As she spoke the last part of her sentence, she threw herself into him with a hug.

He allowed this strangely emotionally confused Hinata to stay in his arms for a short while before pushing her away from him and looking into her eyes. His hands kept a firm grip on both of her shoulders. "If you really are Hinata, and you were earlier, then why won't you just come home with us?" He demanded, searching her face for an answer and wanting to shake her in frustration.

"I can't. I made a promise. I learned too much, and I made a promise that I refuse to break, Neji-nii-san. I have friends here. They're more like a family to me than that place that you call home ever had," she admitted softly, averting her eyes from his ever-widening ones.

"I won't believe that you could turn your back on the village that raised you so easily. You've always been a good girl, so how could you abandon us now? If you will miss myself and your sister, just go back!" His shouted whisper increased in urgency as he spoke.

Breaking away from him, Hinata brought her hand up as though to hit him. "Stop!" She said, causing a rustle in the tree where Deidara was hiding because he halted on that word and nearly lost his balance. "Neji-nii-san, I told you. I honestly don't think you would want me to show you my promise. And the other reason? Even if I wanted to, I can't return now. I know too much about Akatsuki. They would kill me in a heartbeat, and I won't do that to my friends. I won't force them to hurt me."

"We could protect you from them, though!" He was acutely aware of the growling that was audible from the tree that had rustled before.

"No, not even Tsunade-sama could have me protected twenty four hours a day, every day. I would be killed, and you would have wasted your effort. Though, you already have. I'm not leaving them. I could send those two away and my answer would be the same."

"Then send them away. I want to hear you say that when we're completely alone," Neji's demand, though strict, was not unreasonable.

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Hinata raised her voice, calling them into the clearing below. She watched her cousin back several steps away from her, calling out, "I said to tell them to leave, not show themselves!"

"I want you to watch them leave," she turned to the Uchiha and ex-Iwa nin. "Itachi-san, Deidara-san, please leave me alone with my cousin. I swear he won't hurt me," she smiled softly at them, wondering how Neji would react to her relationship with them.

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"Hinata-san, we have no reason to trust this boy. Give me a good reason, and I will gladly leave," the eldest Uchiha proclaimed, clearly positive that she wouldn't be able to find one.

"Because I trust him. That should be enough," the ex-heiress replied, seemingly smug that she had beaten him at his own game.

Neji watched in awe as Itachi actually looked defeated and spun to walk away.

"I never said I would leave, un," Deidara claimed loudly, as though making fun of the other man.

Said man was suddenly in front of the blonde with his fist raised in the air; the blonde was cradling his jaw in his hand with a burning anger in his eyes. Neji watched him start to speak before he was interrupted by Hinata.

"Gentlemen, please. We have an audience who doesn't need to see just how disagreeable you both are. Calm down, Itachi-san, and do as you said you would. You're both so stubborn," she scolded.

Again in awe, Neji watched Itachi leave the clearing in a more downtrodden manner than he had ever seen from a ninja.

"And as for you, Deidara-san, let me see your jaw." She took his chin in her hand and felt at the place on his lower cheek where the bone met the skull. Shifting his jaw bone slightly, Neji heard a crack as Hinata put it where it belonged and a green light suffused her hand to heal it completely. "Now, will you leave, or will I have to call Itachi back and have him make you leave?"

Neji watched the explosives artist scowl before thanking her, placing a kiss on her cheek, spinning on his heel, and pridefully striding away.

She laughed under her breath and turned her attention back to him. "I'm sorry. They're just worried about me. Why did you want them to leave again?" Her eyes followed the blone man's progress, shining brightly.

Neji's Byakugan activated, making sure they were gone, before he posed the question that had been bothering him since the morning when they had met again. "What is the real reason you are staying?"

"Because I am in love," she replied, sighing longingly. Her eyes appeared torn, though.

"How could you fall in love with the enemy?" Neji's exclaimed question nearly sent her into a panic.

"Don't shout, you might wake the others!" She urged, then sighed. He wondered if she was searching her mind for a way to explain it. Taking a deep breath, she spoke and answered his unasked inquiry. "What would you do if Tenten-san suddnely killed a fellow Konoha nin, the fled the village? Would you still love her?"

Bringing up his long-time crush on his teammate was a cruel tactic, but he thought he saw where she was headed. He had thought he hid his crush from his cousin, though…

"I would. She would still be the same person I have always known," he admitted.

"These men are the same as they have always been. They were loved by their villages, treasured even, before they betrayed them. These men didn't change, it was just people's perspectives. You of all people should know that. There is more to my family in Akatsuki than meets the eye. Please remember that and help me get the others to leave. I'm truly happy here, for the first time since Haha-ue** died. I don't want to leave them. Please help me convince the others to leave," she bowed before him, pressing her face to the dirt as she begged.

Watching her plead, and his own thoughts of Tenten made him make a decision he hoped he wouldn't regret. "Are you positive you want this?"

"I have thought of every possible outcome, and would choose nothing else. I wanted to make sure you knew the real reason, though. I didn't want to make you think I really had changed as much as I acted like I did," the Hyuuga confessed hesitantly, lifting her face to speak.

"How did you act so cruel and against your nature earlier, by the way," Neji asked, lifting her from the ground to stand in front of him.

"With lessons from Itachi-san and desperation to make you leave. If you had passed me, all four of us would have died,"

"Ah. You are doing everything you can to make this hurt the least bit possible for all of us, aren't you?"

Hinata frowned and backed away slightly. "It's my choice to leave. Why shouldn't I make it easier? Just help me tomorrow and we'll all live happily in our separate lives," giving her cousin one last hug before they became mortal enemies, Hinata smiled and leapt into the trees.

**(A/N: I'm going to end it here. Since I've been creating so many cliff hangers lately, I figured I would attempt to save the poor guy and not make one. If any of you have seen Between the Lions [do not own!] then you'll get that reference. XD That, and I feel really bad making you all wait three weeks for an unsatisfying ending. But at least I'm prompt with the chapter delivery, right? I've only missed one deadline so far, and that was only by one day! All the other times, it has been exactly three weeks since I've updated! (: I'msoproudofkeepingmydealines! I've never done that before, and it's pretty good practice for my future writing career. XD I hope I have a future there, anyway. So, before I bore you with my life's story and "when I grow up" hopes, I'll end my ranting and say that I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next one! Ja ne!**

***Shoushi: midnight**

****Haha-ue: mother [formal/polite])**


	11. The Meeting

**(A/N: Umm… I'm really sorry guys. It's gonna have to be a rather short chapter this time. Although I wish I could keep it going, this is just going to be a connector chapter to what I want to happen between Hinata and the Konoha nins. It was either this chapter the way it is, or wait another week to gather my thoughts and place all of them online and make the chapter around twenty pages, instead of the ten I usually write. Again, I'm sorry, but it'll have to work like this to keep me on schedule.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 11

Neji watched as his cousin leapt into the trees, wondering how he would be able to help her convince the others to leave him without seeming to be a traitor.

Quickly making his way back to camp, the chocolate haired Hyuuga reentered his one-person tent without a sound. He belated realized that his team hadn't even missed him; neither of the other two were even awake.

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"Itachi-san, Deidara-san, he's gone now," Hinata called quietly into the forest. She watched the two appear from opposite sides of her, glancing around to make sure the boy was truly gone.

"And, hm?" The blonde explosives artist wanted to know what had happened, clearly expressed in his two words.

"He told me he would try to find a way to help me," she admitted, though her voice had an undertone of worry.

"What's wrong with that?" Itachi asked, beating his rival to the question and throwing a small smirk to the blonde.

"What if they realize he's trying to get them to abandon me? Will he be considered a traitor? What will they do to him?"

Both men took a step toward her, then glared at each other. "Don't worry too much. It will only look as though he's given up on you," the raven haired man spoke after a moment's thought.

"Baka! He's been frantically searching for this hideout, trying to find her, yeah. He has exhausted himself and another of her friends looking for information that is not supposed to be attainable to him, mm. Her cousin has done everything short of killing himself in order to get to where he is right now. Do you really think it will be that easy for him, hm? The only part you are right about is that Hinata-san shouldn't worry." The blonde's eyes narrowed, unhappy about having to agree with her.

The young Hyuuga woman shivered, only now realizing the trouble in which she had placed her cousin. "I can't believe I did that. I have to go back and tell him to forget I ever said anything!" Turning, she ran directly into Itachi's chest. She hadn't seen him move, but should have expected it of him.

"You can't go back. Hinata-san, you already told us he's gone back to camp. The other two could catch you if you return to him. Then what would you do? You just have to trust your cousin to come up with the best way possible to win the others over without seeming traitorious. Trust him in this like you do in everything else." Itachi calmly spoke in a low voice. His eyes, even with the Sharingan active, were a softer color than they usually were.

Hinata recognized the truth in his statement, letting her tensed muscles relax. "But what if we're wrong, and he can't do this? What am I going to do if he gets killed or exiled because of my favor?"

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Her whispered worries met with unhappy ears. Neither man knew how to explain to her that worry was not an option in Akatsuki. She would have to learn that on her own, but they didn't want to make her learn her lesson alone.

Finally, as her eyes began to water, Deidara sighed. "Itachi, you go on and take her back to the hideout. I'll be there in a little bit, yeah. There's something I forgot about that needs doing, hm."

Itachi allowed a small bit of shock to enter his eyes at the blonde's order. _Is he really going to tell me to walk back, alone, with Hinata-chan while he goes somewhere else?_

Deidara watched the elder Uchiha brother's eyes narrow in thought before that man came to a decision. "Fine. Run along, then, while we return home," the impassive statement sounded with a mix of superiority and suspicion.

Deidara glared before turning his back and leaping into the undergrowth. _I'll go find that boy and let him know that he'd better not die,_ he thought as a smirk trailed across his face.

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A rustle in the brush startled Neji from his planning. All had been quiet, and his watch had just begun.

_What could that be? Hinata isn't stupid enough to come here, to camp, where she could be captured! Maybe the other Akatsukis didn't get the message?_ He stood, activating his Byakugan silently.

Just as he was about to give the signal to wake the others, he realized that he Akatsuki he saw was the blonde one from earlier. That man, the Hyuuga boy knew, had something to say to him.

Neji knew his team was asleep by the calmness of their chakra, meaning he could freely move about until they awoke. Narrowing his all-seeing eyes, Neji motioned for the man to lead the way somewhere else.

Once out of hearing the distance of the others, the blonde stopped. "What's your plan to help Hinata-ch, ano, -san?" Neji's eyes narrowed at the slip of the explosive artist's tongue. It meant Deidara was closer to the Hyuuga heiress than he'd like to let the girl's protector know.

Stepping back and suspiciously observing the blonde, Neji chose not to speak. "I asked you a question, yeah!" Anger was nearly palpable in the air.

"Why should I tell you? Why are you even here, Akatsuki?" Neji spat, wondering not for the first time how it was that Hinata had chosen the criminals over her own family.

"Your cousin is worried about you. After you left, she shared with us exactly how much so. She nearly cried. Hinata-san needs to know something of your plans or she will worry all night long. She doesn't even know I'm here, so spill it because I have to return to base soon." The order, given without a threat in the words, was still menacing.

Sizing up the blonde, the young Hyuuga man activated his Byakugan. "Repeat your claim," he urged. As the older man did so, the younger found the truth in his words. "Do I need to explain in depth, or should I just skim over the details?"

The ex-Iwa nin chose the latter, but was surprised when Neji reached into his bag of ninja supplies and withdrew a scroll. "You didn't seriously think I would tell **you**, did you? I will write and place a seal that only Hinata-sama can remove on it. You will deliver it, I assume," Neji predicted based on what he knew about the blonde.

Growling, Deidara spoke. "I'm not your errand boy!"

Neji raised an eyebrow at the older man. "That either leaves you Hinata-sama's 'errand boy' or here on your own business. Which is it?" He mocked.

Grimacing and taking a threatening step forward, the missing nin quibbled, "I was going to tell her, not give her a letter."

"Still a message," Neji gloated, wondering why he was brave enough to mock the S-class murderer. Maybe it was because the blonde hadn't killed him yet. He didn't really know.

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Hinata followed Itachi through the undergrowth, leaping silently behind him. "Where do you think Deidara-san went?" She wondered aloud.

"Does it really matter? He has abandoned us for the night. I'd imagine he's off looking for something to blow up after being forced to spend so much time near me," the Uchiha smirked. "He probably won't be back at the hideout tonight."

Hinata looked doubtful for a moment, but let it pass, prefering not to argue. "Konan's week with me is up. Do you think you could take me back to Deidara's room to sleep tonight?"

"Since Deidara's not going to be there, I don't see why not."

Soon, they arrived home, and Hinata was dropped off in her room for the night. She watched Itachi leave for his own room before closing the slightly squeaky door and crawling under the covers of Deidara's bed. She knew that his comforting smell would help her sleep, and soon drifted off into a peaceful rest.

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Deidara glared at the chocolate haired boy in front of him. How dare that brat insult him! If he hadn't been Hinata-chan's cousin, then the Hyuuga boy would have been dead long ago, along with his other two friends. "You're a lucky little brat, yeah," he muttered, waiting for the boy to write his plans.

Laying down, the blonde Akatsuki folded his hands across his stomach and closed his eyes to wait.

When the moon had moved closer to the horizon, mere hours before the morning's twilight, Deidara was jerked awake when he felt something moving through the air. He hadn't remembered falling asleep, but he supposed it didn't matter.

Catching the flying object, he found the scroll on which Neji had been writing. It was already rolled and sealed.

"There. Give that to Hinata-sama. It should relieve her to know my plans. What's your name, by the way?" The curious tone in his voice clearly stated that he had to know exactly to whom he was leaving his cousin.

_He's probably going to return to Konoha and research everything they know about my life_. The blonde snorted. "Deidara, yeah. Remember it well."

"Only if you treat my cousin well. If I hear that she has died before you, I shall find and kill you myself,"

Deidara knew that the threat was not empty, but it didn't scare him. Honestly, if he admitted it to himself, he knew in the back of his mind that he would die with her, before her Hyuuga protector could ever learn of her death. Nodding seriously to that young man, Deidara spun on the ball of his foot and leapt into the trees to return to base.

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Neji watched the clouded nin leave the clearing, sighing before returning to his lookout spot. He made sure the other two were still sleeping before he entered the campsite.

Hoping he made the right decision, Neji looked to the moon, only to see that his time on watch was nearing its end. He moved to wake Kakashi for the final watch, then curled into his sleeping bag, longing for the respite of sleep.

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Hinata leapt to her feet from the bed with an accompanying jingle when the door to Deidara's room suddenly swung open, emitting a high pitched squeak. "Who's there?" She questioned firmly.

With that question, the intruder glanced up sharply before flicking on the light. Momentarily blinded, Hinata threw her hands in front of her body, hoping to fend off whatever attack the prowler had in mind to throw at her.

When that person laughed, however, it threw her off. Blinking to ward off the transitory blindness, she saw that the intruder was the owner of the room. "Deidara," she quietly exclaimed, "where have you been?"

He merely tossed a scroll in her direction. When she caught and stared confusedly at it, he spoke. "I went to warn Neji for you, hm. He wrote down what he planned to do to help tomorrow. I hope it helps you feel more confident in him, un," the blonde admitted somewhat shyly. "He said it has a seal that only you can break. Seems he doesn't trust me, yeah."

She giggled at his antics. _Of all the things that would make him shy, it's this!_ She turned her attention from the ex-Iwa nin to the scroll. _A Hyuuga gyoji.*_ Channeling her chakra into it, the seal faded and allowed the scroll to be unrolled.

Her eyes scanned the page, eager to take in her cousin's words of comfort.

Upon reaching the end, Hinata's eyes closed until Deidara's words broke into her thoughts. "Is it viable, un?"

She nodded. "It's been a long time since I've seen my friends, that's all. It has worn on me, along with worrying for Neji-nii-san."

"What are you doing back in here, tonight, hm?" the blonde asked, as though hoping to get her mind away from depressing thoughts.

"Konan-san's week to stay with me was up, so she went back to her other room. I didn't want to sleep in there alone, so I asked Itachi-san to bring me here. If you'd rather me not be here, I can find somewhere else," she hurriedly added, on the off chance that her roommate was angry.

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"No! I would like it if you stayed. I was just curious. How did you manage to convince the U- ano, Itachi to bring you here?" He said, nearly making the mistake of insulting Itachi in front of the soon-to-be-ex-Hyuuga heiress.

Said young woman smiled sweetly, supposedly at his uninsulting name for her friend. "I told that you weren't with us, so he said you probably wouldn't come back tonight. He's letting me stay since he didn't think you'd come back. I knew you would, though."

Deidara smirked at Itachi's lack of faith in him. "Let's go to sleep while we can. I'm exhausted," he suggested, rolling into bed on the side opposite Hinata.

She nodded, moving to flick the lightswitch to the off position before slipping back beneath the covers. It was going to be a long day when she woke.

**(A/N: I really hope this wasn't too short for you guys. It was seven pages (only three short) but it still seems really short to me. I dunno. I hope you enjoyed this installment of MC! Come back soon!)**


	12. The Killer

**(A/N: Welcome back, once again, to another episode of Mysterious Captivation! Haha (: I'm in a rather good mood, all things considered. I went to a wonderful Big Daddy Weave concert! I got a total of four and a half hours of sleep last night, got up and went to church this morning, have not taken a nap, and it is now eleven thirty at night. Haha I'm past the point of tired, and on a sugar rush right now (it's kept me awake to type this for yall!) and now, I will allow you to go ahead and read this and leave you alone.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other popular thing you have heard of.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 12

Sliding, exhausted, from the bed, Hinata ghosted lightly into the bathroom. She withdrew her second Akatsuki uniform, donning her black outfit before slipping her clouded cloak.

Extracting a bottle of nail polish from her knapsack, she began repainting her finger and toe nails. Waving them dry, the soon-to-be-ex Hyuuga steadied herself for the upcoming confrontation.

Remembering her cousin's letter from the night before, she smiled bitter-sweetly. The war of words from the day before was not going to be the same today. Today, she was going to completely cut her ties from Konoha.

Feeling refreshed in body, but her mind full of worry, she allowed herself the comfort of a single tear.

Hearing movement from within the adjacent room, she quickly wiped it away before flitting back to Deidara. "Are you ready?" He quietly questioned.

Nodding apprehensively, she motioned for him to lead as they made their way out to the clearing where she had met her rescue team the day before.

Staying hidden in the treetops, Hinata activated her bloodline limit until she saw three chakra signatures warily making their way into the trees near the meeting place. Letting her voice rise as their movements fell, the Hyuuga spoke, "We are here. This is not an ambush, but a meeting. My partner and I will drop to the ground first, and Neji can check for any other people around you. I've nothing to hide," Hinata mocked, watching Naruto flinch backward at her cool, businesslike tone.

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Neji watched as Hinata and the blonde ninja from the night before dropped to the ground. _Deidara,_ he remembered. "There's no one else around us," he assured his comrades as they both looked to him. "It's just them."

Kakashi nodded once before motioning them to follow him as he dropped to the forest floor. "I assume you have decided not to return to Konoha with us," Kakashi analyzed, eyeing the blonde Akatsuki member by her side.

"I told you yesterday that I wouldn't," Hinata cooly retaliated. "When you told me to think it over, I knew right away that you were planning something. However, this also gave me time to plan. I will not be returning with you, and you will not put up a fight until we meet again."

"How can you be so sure?" Naruto's loudly asked question echoed through the forest, frightening several birds from their perches. Neji visibly winced.

"You had time to plan, so why shouldn't I?" Her claim fell on deaf ears.

"We'll take you back no matter what!" The Kyuubi container assured her.

She merely smirked, her now-icy gaze locking with each of her adversaries before turning to her companion. Speaking loudly, her voice carried over to the other three, "Why would they be intent on forcefully taking me back, Deidara-kun? Why would they bring me back, when they would have no way of keeping me there? I don't understand,"

"I honestly don't have a clue how the minds of these Konoha freaks work. There's obviously some reason why they're still attached to that village, yeah. Maybe something is wrong in their minds, un?" He said with a sadistic chuckle.

"Who knows?" She agreed, joining him in his dark humour. She returned her attention to the stunned Konoha ninja. "When are you going to realize that I will not go with you, and even if you do manage to get me there, I will not stay. I would be dead before your Hokage could even sentence my punishment for betrayal. It is the way of Akatsuki," her smile widened as she continued, "but of course, you would know nothing of loyalty."

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With a lightening-quick movement that none but Neji knew she was capable of, the Hyuuga woman threw several kunai at her once-comrades-in-arms. Neji could clearly see the chakra she had pushed into the blades, courtesy of the new move that Kiba had told him she had been working on.

Neji did not allow himself to physically prepare for the attack. Instead, he mentally prepared himself for the life-stealing pain he knew would take precedence over everything else, even as he felt the kunai pierce his skin, deep into his left lung.

The pain immediately spread as his breaths became more laboured. Gasping for breath, he allowed the faux hope that he had allowed to stay in his gaze finally fade away.

Blinking hard against the sudden rush of blinding pain _and tears,_ he noted belatedly, he heard the angry rush of Naruto as he nearly injured Kakashi as he tried to harm Hinata.

Once more gasping, and laying his pride aside, Neji weakly called, "Help me!"

Catching the attention of his teammates, they caught sight of the bloody, gasping young man with the kunai still lodged in his lung. _Each breath I take will cause more damage to the lung tissue; well done, Hinata-sama. I didn't think you would be able to do this._ His gasps became weaker as black covered the edges of his vision.

The last thing he heard before it went completely silent was Hinata. "You might want to get him to a hospital instead of trying to take me back. He won't live longer than a couple days at the rate he is breathing. I wonder how long it will take you to get back to Konoha, especially trying to keep me prisoner and watch over him at the same time." She allowed her voice to trail off, planting the idea of his death into the heads of her soon-to-be-enemies.

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Naruto growled, nearly leaping at Hinata with a deadly Rasengan. He was stopped, however, when Kakashi grasped his upper arm. Turning to yell, Naruto saw that the man's eyes were still locked on the dying Hyuuga.

"Naruto, as much as I dislike this situation, we have to leave. As I have always said, people who abandon their missions are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. We have to get Neji-kun to a hospital as soon as we can. We can't risk his life for a traitor. She's too cowardly to face us in battle, so she attacked the one who trusted her most. Now, we are forced to leave, or risk his survival." Kakashi's eyes narrowed, glaring at the young betrayer.

"I have had enough of my friends betraying me!" Naruto roared, reaching to attack despite the warning from Kakashi.

"I so hoped that you would chose to save him. He's one of the nicer ones," Hinata said, trailing her voice off. She then picked back up on it. "I see that you are now willing to abandon your own friends for those who have decided to leave you. What an admirable quality. Especially with your future goal of becoming the Hokage. What ever will all your real friends think when they find out about this?"

That was the last straw. "You want to stay?" Naruto asked, still silently pleading that she would say no.

"Of course."

"Then stay. Just know that the next time any of the rookie nine, or your family, or any ninja associated with any village, you will be attacked immediately and killed. You will be put in the Bingo Books, along with Sasuke, and you will be a 'kill-on-sight' target."

She nodded, and then smiled brightly at him. "Good luck, future Hokage-san. I will look forward to those meetings."

Naruto bent, placing Neji's right arm around his shoulder and being careful of the boy's wounds. Kakashi did the same on the boy's left, skillfully removing the kunai from the wound and bandaging it as best he could. All the while, both men watched the two Akatsuki warily, though neither moved.

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He watched as the two conscious Konoha nins flinched, backing away from what they surely thought was an insane woman. He watched until they were out of his range of sight, then turned to Hinata.

"What in the world were you thinking, hm?" The blonde exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the retreating nins. "Why did you almost KILL your cousin, yeah?" Getting no answer, Deidara paused his motions and looked into her face.

Tears now freely fell, sparkling in the morning sunlight. "Are you okay?" He asked, finally breaking through her shell-shocked façade.

"No. I think I might have just killed the one person who cared enough about me to face two Akatsuki alone."

"Then why did you do it?" Deidara demanded, hating to see the pain that was clear on her face and in her voice.

"It was part of his plan. Here's the letter that you delivered to me last night. I still have it in my kunai pouch."

He took the scroll after she unsealed it and read the words that had been meant only for Hinata's eyes.

_Hinata-sama,_

_Your friend from Akatsuki, the blonde one, has made my plan much easier. Being able to tell you what I'm going to do will aid in keeping you where you want to be. I first want you to know that whatever you do, I will support you. Knowing this, though, does not make what I am going to say any easier. If you truly want to stay with them, you are going to have to hurt one of my team. Being able to tell you, I have altered my plan for tomorrow. Following through with it will be much easier now. I want you to impale me with a kunai. The others know of the deep bond we have formed since I was beaten during our first Chunnin exam. They know how protective we are of each other. By your injuring me, you will symbolically be cutting all ties to your family. As much as I know you will hate this, you must hit me in a vital place on my body. Somewhere that has the potential to kill. If they see that you have the intent to kill me, then they should truly be convinced that you are not going to peacefully return with us. Please, be careful, and don't worry about me. I'll find a way to let you know I'm alive. If I die, then know it was doing my duty to the one I swore to protect, and that I look at you as more than a job, but as my sister. I wish there were words to tell you how much I regret my attacks and words against you during the Chunnin exam, but maybe this action will be enough._

_All my love, and I hope we meet again,_

_Neji-nii-san_

"Wow, mm. Your relationship with him was rather twisted, no?"

"Not at all. He hated me for a while because I caused the death of his father." Deidara nodded, knowing that story from his mission to bomb the Hyuuga Compound. "Then, during the Chunnin exams, he tried to kill me. If the fight had gone on, I would have died within ten minutes, but thankfully, the medics stabilized my condition before that could happen. It took me a long time to recover after that, and because I never recovered my full strength, I was far behind the others in terms of my power. I was still struggling with being seen as weak when you kidnapped me. Neji-nii-san has felt guilty about this for years, but I've never heard him actually admit to it."

Deidara's low whistle was the only sound for a long moment. "How do you know, hm? He seems to be a rather emotionless kid. How can you read what he feels, un?"

Hinata smiled bitter sweetly. "Most of my family is like him. They're all very stoic, the epitome of what a ninja should be on the outside. The only problem is the lack of shown familial ties. The Hyuugas are constantly stoic, not just on missions. They are a proud clan, and no longer a part of my life," she finished, finally recognizing aloud that she was no longer part of that family.

"Is he going to be okay?"

She turned her head away from the blonde as she answered ashamedly, "I'm not sure. I dearly hope he will be,"

The ex-Iwa nin reached out to catch her chin in his hand. "All you did was follow instructions. Don't feel guilty or get worried for no reason, yeah. If he dies, then it's his time to go, and he would have no matter whether you had done it or not, hm," the blonde stated comfortingly, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

Breaking free of his grip easily, the ex-Hyuuga heiress turned fully away. "Thank you," she brushed the tears from her eyes, knowing that she had passed her test and become a fully-fledged missing nin. She felt lighter than she ever had before, except for the sinking knowledge of what she had just done to her cousin.

"Let's go home," Deidara suggested, for the first time knowing that this would be true for the both of them.

As he struggled to find something to say to her, he realized that the only one who would truly be able to comfort her was Itachi, the one who had done something similar before.

Scowling, the explosives ninja decided to pay that Uchiha a visit.

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"Oi, Uchiha!" Itachi heard his name being called from far down the hall outside his room. It almost sounded like Deidara, but there would be no reason for that man to look for him.

Stepping lightly into the hallway after hearing the 'click' of a newly unlocked door, Itachi found that it was the Akatsuki bomber calling him.

Behind him, though, trailed a dark haired shadow, doom written across both of her eyes.

"What happened? Did they get by?" His worried words were hastily spoken, despite the fact that he knew his rival could hear the emotion in his voice.

"No, she would have already been killed if that was the case," the blonde solemnly responded.

Itachi was surprised that Deidara found no need to provoke him at the moment. _There must be a reason. There is no way he would admit to needing my help, though._ The Uchiha pondered, wondering once more what had occurred.

He leaned against his door, watching the blonde Akatsuki do the same with the wall across from him. Hinata stood in his shadow, a blank look on her face and unshed tears shining in her eyes.

"I," the once-Iwa ninja paused, as if searching for something, but continued upon taking a large breath, "needyourhelp." The rushed end to his statement belied his disgust of the words, along with a sneer.

"You are admitting to needing my help?" Itachi raised an eyebrow, a condescending look on his face. "What in the world happened out there?"

The blonde, now suspiciously turning a light pink in the cheeks, snarled at the older man and swung his fist to hit the wall behind him. Hinata jumped backward, falling to the floor and staring up at both men with wide eyes. "I think I'm going to go back to my room."

"Wait, un!" The Akatsuki bomber called out, catching her wrist before jerking his arm back as she flinched. "Sorry," he nearly stammered, turning to Itachi after making sure Hinata would stay by him. "Please, talk to Hinata. I'll let her tell you what happened, yeah," Deidara explained as he gently shoved that girl toward the Uchiha with his fingertips.

Itachi watched Deidara walk away, wondering why that man had relinquished time spent with the woman they both loved, when he could have very easily pushed Itachi completely out of the way.

The stoic Uchiha turned to the young woman in his arms, gently guiding her into the room they once shared and locking the door once more. "What happened," he demanded with no emotion allowed to creep into his tone.

"I may have killed my cousin," she whispered. Seeming to come uncorked with those words, she told him of what happened in its entirety. She told him of the letter Deidara had brought back for her with Neji's plan, and of the way they had convinced the others to leave to save his life.

"They will make it back. If it gets to the point where he is at risk of dying, Kakashi knows some medical ninjutsu. Neji won't die, but neither will he get well quickly. If I know that Hatake, he will heal your cousin as much as he can without doing too much damage. Later, that will have to be undone so a medic nin can heal it properly, but he shouldn't die. I'd imagine the Hyuuga's much too stubborn for that," Itachi allowed his eyes to crinkle as his mouth's edges lifted slightly.

"He'll never forgive me," Hinata simply stated. "I can barely even believe I allowed myself to go through with that!" She angrily exclaimed, hitting Itachi on the shoulder before covering her mouth with her hand in slight panic. "I'm so sorry!"

The Uchiha's eyes softened as he watched the ex-Hyuuga. "Don't worry about it," he instructed, before continuing along with her previous thought. "He is the one who instructed you to hit him with that kunai. I promise you that he will forgive you."

She shook her head. "He might get well, but he'll never be able to become ANBU now. No one who has taken a nearly fatal shot like that can rise above the rank of Jounin, just in case the tissues stay weak."

Itachi's eyes widened. "How long has this law been around?"

A bitter smile crossed the young woman's lips. "Ever since you left Konoha. It was put in place because of you, along with an age base on the ranks. I think they said it was because too much stress causes the mind to begin to deteriorate, or something like that. It was one of those laws that no one knew about until it was needed."

Seeing the smile for the grimace that it was, Itachi asked a question of her. "And when did this law become known?"

"When Neji-nii-san – no, Neji-san – tried to kill me in the Chunnin exams. I would never have risen above the rank of Jounnin had I stayed in Konoha. I didn't want to do that to him, but he demanded it of me,"

The unshed tears that had glistened in her eyes were finally allowed to drip down her cheeks in quick succession. She nearly choked on the sob that clawed its way up her throat as she felt Itachi's arms wrap around her torso. "Quiet, now, it's going to be okay. You said he told you he would be in touch if he survived, so you can count on that," he continued to whisper comforting nothings in her ear.

As her cries began to cease, she looked up at him from where her face had previously been buried in his shoulder. "All I ever seem to do when I'm with you is cry. I'm so sorry, Itachi-san," she apologized.

He allowed her a hint of a smile. "Don't worry about it. If you spent more time with me, then it wouldn't seem like you cry all the time. Right now, though, crying is probably what you need. It's what makes you more human than the rest of us. It's what keeps you from being a mindless murderer."

A small, understanding smile lit her eyes before it died. "And I suppose you think yourself a heartless murderer? There's no way you could care so much about me if you were such a thing."

Seeing the opportunity for what it was worth, Itachi expanded on her sentence. "I don't just care for you, Hinata-chan," he said, putting emphasis on the new suffix.

Her eyes widened at the closest thing to an actual confession she had heard to a confession since the one she gave to Naruto three years prior to that moment.

Sitting in stunned silence, she didn't notice the slight tear that began to make its way down her cheek. "You love me," she watched him look away.

When she didn't speak for several moments, Itachi turned his face back to her own. Now, though, his eyes were like a flint. "Forget it," he spat tonelessly, "because there is no way you could love me after the way I shared about my life and experiences with you. You would rather go with the man who can show you that he loves you, instead of trusting the one who has held you countless times as you cried," he turned his back on her. "Leave," his order was a harsh one, and he listened as she hesitantly stood and walked to the door, unclasping the lock and slipping outside.

He prayed he would hear no footsteps, or that she would return to his room and reenter, but he knew that wouldn't happen. He had been harsh, and she was shy and a peacemaker. She would not come near him again unless he first approached her.

He sighed, wondering how she had broken his emotionless shell enough for him to let his anger at her and Deidara take control of him.

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She heard a set of rushed footsteps outside the door to her room. "Enter," she sanctioned as the steps halted at her threshold.

"Gomen ne, for bothering you. I need some advice," the newest Akatsuki member hesitantly attested.

"What is the problem, Hinata-san?" Konan's worried voice would make the ex-Hyuuga remember why she had gone to that woman for comfort and help.

"It's about Itachi and Deidara," the midnight haired young woman glanced about the room, eyes seeming to take in every detail except the expression on the face of the Akatsuki's mother.

"They are not typically prone to jealousy, but when it comes to the other of them, they feel that they must always win. While it has to do with you, there will be nothing that they do not resort to in trying to make you want to stay with them. You have just experienced this, yes?" Konan's ever-observant eyes took in the shaken form of the younger woman, realizing that the love triangle could harm more than just her boys, but their newest recruit as well.

"Yes. Itachi-san-" She broke off, nearly choking on her words. "He's trying to guilt trip me into spending more time with him,"

"And you want to, but you don't know how to make Deidara back off?" Konan watched Hinata nod, the younger woman's eyes shining in relief. "I will not step in here. You must decide for yourself. Just as you ended the balance between missing nin and loyal nin today, you must end the balance between Itachi and Deidara. You must choose one of them, or this is going to get even worse,"

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Hinata knew those words were true, even without the solid stare of the older woman. She knew that she had to choose, but she didn't know whom she should pick.

_Time will tell. I need to tell them that guilt trips and fighting with each other are not the way to win me over. I'll give them both a certain amount of time a day, and push them together in the same place for every time they insult the other or myself. _Nodding resolutely to herself, Hinata thanked Konan politely and left the room.

She was so intent of finding the two men that loved her, whom she loved in return, that she did not realize she was being followed.

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Tapping his chin lightly, Pein ghosted behind the Hyuuga. She was officially a part of his organization, and she had nearly killed her cousin to become such.

Something was wrong. Their kind hearted medic could not recover from such a trauma in a few measly hours.

He would consult Konan about it later.

_This girl is more trouble than she's worth._ He chuckled darkly. There was no way he would hear the end of this 'whatever it was' without trouble.

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"Itachi-san, Deidara-san, I have something to tell you both," she watched both men observe her carefully before continuing. "I am not some prize that you two can compete over. When you insult each other, it hurts me. I can't stand it when you fight. And there will be no more guilt trips or mocking because of me, okay?" Hinata glared at the two men with newfound confidence. "Any time one of you does something that I just listed, I will make you two both sit in the same room with me for an entire hour," she smirked, watching them cower.

Itachi's lessons had paid off in more ways than one. Not only could she convince her once-comrades that she was abandoning them and to go home, she could convince the two men that she would carry out her threats until she figured out which one she genuinely loved.

They grumbled as she finished her statement, but both reluctantly agreed.

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It was worth agreeing with the eldest Uchiha to see the bright smile that lit up Hinata's face. Though her eyes were still shadowed, and slightly puffy and red from crying, she looked lovely.

"When do you think you will start training in medical jutsu, Hinata-chan?" Deidara questioned, not noticing his slip of the tongue until he had both the ninja from prestigious clans looking at him strangely. "Gomen, Hinata-san," he ammended, emphasizing the suffix.

"No, it's fine. I just have only been called that once since I left Konoha," she murmured before continuing on to answer his question. "I will start as soon as I my next training session with Itachi arrives. He will teach me the basics, and then I will begin researching and experimenting on my own with books,"

Surprisingly, the three held a normal conversation for several more minutes before deciding that they would leave the room for lunch.

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Konan was already in the kitchen when they arrived. She could tell it would be a long while yet to go before Hinata could make up her mind.

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As Itachi had said, Kakashi healed as much of Neji's lung as he could, so that young man was no longer in danger of losing his life, but they had to make their way to the hospital as soon as they could, or it had the potential to get much worse.

The moment they passed the gates into Konoha, Naruto his sensei dragged the unconscious Hyuuga into the hospital and into the nearest operating room, demanding that Tsunade take a look at him the moment he got settled.

Several hours and much pain later, Neji was released from the intensive care unit of the hospital and into a regular room. Waking almost silently, the young man opened his eyes to see the opal eyes of Hinata's father, his own uncle. "Gomen nasai. I couldn't bring her back," he apologized.

"I can't believe they took my daughter, and she chose to stay with them. Were we that cruel?" The older man's fears were voiced only for the ears of the younger branch member, the only one in the clan who had seen this side of him other than his late wife.

"Hai," Neji agreed, casting his gaze ashamedly away from the greiving man, both for the facts that it was the truth, yet still a lie, and that the man had a saddness hidden deep within his eyes.

The elder man nodded once, swept to his feet with a deflated flourish, and left the hospital.

**(A/N: Hi! I finally got it finished, after much contemplating. I had myself backed into a corner that I almost couldn't figure out how to get out of XD But I figured it out, and the result is the chapter you have before you. I hope you enjoyed it!)**


	13. The Waiting

**(A/N: Does anyone else find it amusing that Hinata is 5'3", Deidara is 5'5", and Itachi is 5'8"? I'm 5'4", so I'm almost as tall as a mass-murdering ninja. (: **

**On a side note, I'd like to apologize for something. In chapter 12, I forgot to add Deidara's verbal tics to his speech, so he seemed relatively normal without his "un, yeah, hm, or mm"s. I have gone through and fixed it, so there shouldn't be any other problem until I go through this and re edit XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 13

"I am going to assume that you haven't written a mission report up yet." Tsunade asserted, entering her office with the two healthy members of the rescue team following closely behind her.

"No, we were more worried for Neji's safety than writing, Baa-san!" Naruto claimed, wondering what had happened to change the once-Hyuuga heiress. It wasn't the first time since leaving her in Akatsuki, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. "We have to go back! This time, we'll be more prepared! We can't just let Hinata stay there with those monsters!"

"She made her choice, Naruto. She nearly killed Neji-kun," Kakashi stated calmly. "Hinata is not coming back. We warned her that she would be classified as a missing nin, should she stay. As a coward, she threw her kunai at the one who would least expect it, causing him grave injury, and forcing us to leave instead of fight. The girl you knew is gone."

"We still need to get her back, though. What if she does something they don't like, and they decide to kill her?"

"Naruto, she made her choice. The young woman I knew was a logical thinker. She took into account all the different scenarios that she could think of, and picked the one she thought most possible. You forget that she helped out in the hospital under me for several years. I had just agreed to help her learn medical jutsus before she fell ill," Tsunade explained at the boy's confused look. "As I'm not her, I don't know exactly what she was thinking when she attacked Neji, but a little over a month does not change the basis of one's personality. Whatever she was thinking, Hinata had a good reason for what she did."

Kakashi's one visible eye narrowed for a moment, going unnoticed by his pupil. Tsunade wondered what he was thinking.

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"Our hideout has been compromised. We will be moving to another safe house by the end of next week. It will be the one we have discussed previously, in Kaminari no Kuni*. You are dismissed," Pein ended the meeting and watched as several of the Akatsuki members released the jutsu that had allowed them to be at the meeting while their physical bodies were far away.

The man with the many piercings turned to his wife. "Konan, with our organization's new member, our teams will have to be restructured. The only one without a partner is Zetsu, but there's no way the Hyuuga girl could hold her own against him."

Konan sighed, looking at her husband. "We should give it a little time. Leave the teams as they are, and wait to see how a medic nin would best fit in the organization. Maybe break up the team that works worst together when we get there. But we should wait and see how the others interact with her before we place her."

Pein sighed. The two were finally alone in the room, so he allowed his sigh to be heard. "As usual, the logically illogical one," he smirked, watching as Konan allowed a slightly pink tint to color her face.

"Shut up."

"Make me," he chuckled, closing his eyes. The chuckle died shortly after he heard her spin on her heel and walk away. "I was only kidding," he nearly pouted until he realized that the blue haired woman had never left.

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"How are we going to move out of this building in a mere week?" Hinata asked the raven haired Uchiha as they left the room together.

They were on their way back to their training session, which had been interrupted by the call to the meeting.

"We will have our business partners come by to help us transport our furniture, but each member is responsible for taking what he or she wants that is theirs. Like Deidara with his clay toys, you with your books on medical jutsu, and I with my scrolls. We will each be responsible for taking all of those ourselves. For now, though, we need to get back to work."

Hinata chose not to comment on his insult toward Deidara's jutsu, if only to keep the peace. _Itachi probably doesn't even realize he said it. _Hinata sighed silently. "Okay, Itachi-san,"

He had been showing her the proper way to heal a cut, by bringing the muscles and blood vessels back together, instead of just healing the skin above it.

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"Neji-kun, you allowed Hinata to hit you with that kunai, didn't you?" The copy ninja asked from his place on the window sill of the hospital room.

The moonlight, in the wanning crescent stage, shown dimly behind him. It was after visiting hours, and no nurse was going to enter this room to check on the young man within for another few hours.

Knowing the boy was feigning sleep, Kakashi fully entered the room.

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Hearing the soft _shink_ of metal against metal, Neji's eyes flew open. He raised his hands in defense, crossing them in a standard kata of blocking.

"Answer my question, boy," Kakashi demanded, slipping his shuriken back into his pouch. "You have nothing left to hide behind,"

"I did allow it," the chocolate haired Hyuuga admitted stoically.

"Why?" The simple question caught Neji off guard, making him wonder whether the white haired man was there on Tsunade's orders, or out of his own curiosity.

"Hn," He realized he was too exhausted to deal with an interrogation at the moment, deciding instead to tune out the other man.

"You really should answer my questions, or I'll have to go to Tsunade-sama and report your treason," Kakashi light-heartedly remarked, sounding as though he were telling a humorous story instead of spelling out Neji's possible doom.

"I was a Hyuuga far before I ever became a ninja. I became her protector at age four, and graduated from the academy at age twelve. My first mission was to protect Hinata-sama at age four. I was forced into servitude to her, and even though I hated her and everything she stood for, she was still as kind to me as she was to everyone else. Even after I tried to kill her in the chunnin exams. Is it any wonder that her happiness would come before even my life?

"Did you know that sometimes, if I catch her off guard, or approach her without her notice, she still flinches when she sees me? I know it's an unconscious gesture, but I would do anything to make her base fear of me go away. Tell Tsunade-sama what you'd like, but it won't change the fact that I will do everything in my power to keep Hinata-sama safe and happy."

"I think that's the most I've ever heard you talk, Neji-kun. And you still care for her, even though she tried to kill you? That doesn't sound like you at all."

"I knew she would. I could see it in her eyes far before she even made the gesture. It was like she was asking permission, so I said yes. Now that you have whatever incriminating information you may have wanted, I would like to rest. Leave, Kakashi-sensei," his voice dipped with respect as his eyes shut and his head fell back upon the pillow.

That said, he heard Kakashi's shuffling feet as he moved closer to the bed. Whispered words and a puff of smoke were all that had shown that the copy ninja had been present. "I would have done the same,"

Eyes opening slightly to the now-empty room, Neji sat and wondered what that boded for his future.

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"Good job, Hinata-san. You've picked up on this very well," Itachi complimented, feeling that she deserved one for the hard work she had put into their training session. It had continued until she could no longer focus her chakra as intensely as needed. She smiled gratefully up at him.

After that had happened, they took a break and settled into the lounge.

Hinata had looked longingly at the small easel in the corner of the room before an inscrutable look passed through her eyes. "What happened to that picture I painted back when I first arrived here?"

A small look of confusion touched Itachi's brow. "I'm not sure what you're refering to, Hinata-san."

Her look cleared for a moment. "I see. Then that means one of the other members took it. Maybe Deidara knows."

The Hyuuga girl hummed doubtfully, "Hm, maybe."

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"I have put a lot of thought into saying this, Tsunade-sama. I think that we should do as Naruto says and hurry back to their base."

Tsunade made to interrupt her, "But-"

"Wait. This is not a request to rescue Hinata-chan." Tsunade's mouth closed and she gestured for Hinata's sensei to speak. "We should attack the Akatsuki with all that we have. Now that they are aware that we know where their hideout is located, they will likely abandon it. We should attack while we still can," the beautiful kunoichi made her point.

Tsunade folded her hands under her chin in thought. "Your theory is probably correct. How do we know that they have not already moved?"

"What harm is there in checking? If we go and no one is around, we can destroy what was left behind so that they cannot go back for it. If they are, we can fight and weaken the Akatsuki even further. We have nothing to lose and much to gain," The dark haired kunoichi gestured to the sky, showing their possible gain, before her crimson eyes met the Hokage's golden ones.

"I see your point." Tsunade nodded. "I'll call in our fastest ANBU squads."

"You know most of the rookies will want to go along, my team included, just so that they can see Hinata-chan again."

Tsunade warily observed the petite woman. "I fail to see your point."

"You should refrain from telling them of our endeavor until after it has been implemented. That would prevent any unnecessary disturbances in the village while the ANBU teams are gone."

"That is what I planned to do. You are dismissed."

Kurenai nodded, hands on her hips. "And may I assume that I will be going on this mission also?" She asked.

Tsunade's eyes widened as she leaned back in her seat. "No you may not!" She exclaimed. "You have your son to think about!"

"I also have my former students to think of." Tsunade saw the torn feelings in the younger sensei's eyes.

"I'll send Kakashi and Jiraya. Would that make you feel any better about this?" Tsunade offered.

She watched the relief play out in the crimson eyed woman. "Yes, thank you, Tsunade-sama," she said as the once-Yuuhi woman turned and left the office.

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"Hinata-san, do you need some help packing, hm?" Deidara asked, wiping his bangs out of his eyes the moment that Hinata called for a time out from their training.

He watched as she moved across the courtyard, lightly stepping off the small pond. They both moved toward one of the surrounding walls to lean back and rest for a moment.

"Not really; Itachi-san has helped with most of it already. There isn't much. He told me that we have to carry our own items. I don't own very much. All I really need is a large bag in which I can store my clothing and toiletries. I already have the small one in which I keep my journal and clay sculptures. Although, I would appreciate some help with finding a larger bag." Hinata smiled, panting slightly as she daintily wiped her forehead clear of sweat.

"Can do, Hinata-san!" The blonde smiled, leaning closer to the slightly smaller girl. "Do you want to cut training short to go find one, yeah?" He asked enthusiastically.

"Sure!" The petite Hyuuga smiled, eyes narrowing in proportion to her growing smile.

The two sat for a moment longer, mostly to let Hinata catch her breath, then stood and moved away from the clearing.

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Feeling weary from her harsh training schedule since joining the Akatuski officially, Hinata hadn't wanted to get up as quickly as they had, but she would deal with it. It was necessary for her to do so in order to gain strength.

_I wonder if Tsunade-sama will actually send some teams here to try to fight us before we move?_ She idly wondered, riffling through her past experiences with the Hokage of Konoha.

"Hinata-san, I think I may have an extra bag in my room," Itachi said, approaching them from the other end of the hall.

"Why are you here?" Deidara demanded, and the Hyuuga watched as he immediately moving himself in between the Uchiha herself.

"She asked me to help her pack earlier. I knew she would need a larger bag in which she could store her clothes and such. I came to tell her that I could help with that," he stated simply, expression never changing from that of mild annoyance.

Stepping around Deidara's instinctively protective arm, Hinata spoke, "Thank you very much, Itachi-san. We were just on our way to search for a bag like that," she smiled tensely. Wearily, she wondered how she was going to put up with them when they were all in the same vicinity.

"You're welcome, Hinata-san," Itachi accepted. "How has your physical training been?"

"She's been doing remarkably. You're pushing her too hard in her medical training, though. She hasn't had the energy to fight even near the length we normally do." Deidara spoke indignantly before the Hyuuga woman could even open her mouth.

"Healing is my main priority, Deidara-san. It is the reason I have been accepted into the organization. I need to learn all I can with all my energy as quickly as possible. I know my limits, so please, allow me to reach them. Uchiha-san trusts me and my abilities," the midnight haired girl added, knowing that if his rival could, then he would do the same.

She sighed as Deidara carefully looked her over, as if worried me might find a sign on her body that she was pushing herself far too harshly. Assuming he had found nothing, she relaxed slightly when he spoke, "It's not that I don't trust you, un. In fact, I trust you more than anyone else I know because I know who you are, yeah. You told me that you'd never quite healed from the injury from your cousin, so I just wanted you to be safe. You know, in case you couldn't feel it, yeah." His eyes looked softly down at her as his finger tips raised and lightly stroked her bangs.

"As heart warming as your care is, Deidara, I would like to see the Hyuuga girl in my office. Now," Pein ordered, ghosting up behind Itachi and scaring the two youngest ninja. Itachi merely stepped out of his way, gesturing at the scene with mildly apparent disgust.

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"Neji, are you awake?" Naruto nearly shouted, slamming the door to the side and waltzing into the room.

Blearily, he opened his pupil-less eyes. "I am now, you idiot."

"Good! I was hoping you would be," the loud blonde let out a small, oblivious smile, not realizing that the Hyuuga man had, in actuality, been sound asleep.

"Why?" Neji asked the question, despite knowing that he would probably immediately regret it.

"I just overheard Kurenai-sensei talking with Tsunade-sama! They're going to send some teams of our fastest ANBU, along with Ero-sennin and Kakashi-sensei, to attack the Akatsuki base before they can flee!" The young man nearly whined in panic.

However sleepy he had been before Naruto explained himself, Neji was wide awake and in a full panic. How could he have let his cousin stay with murderers, especially when he had known, in the back of his mind, that this would happen? "Are you going to try to stop her from sending them?" Neji asked, tamping down his panic in order to speak normally to the brightly colored blonde man. He wouldn't let go of his pride long enough to show such a weakness.

"I can't do that. Not after what Hinata did to you. I'm going to convince Tsunade-sama to let me go with them. I need to fight your cousin to knock some sense into her!" He exclaimed, earning a scolding from a passing nurse for him to "Shut up or be kicked out!"

Closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose, Neji sighed and forced his body to relax. "Naruto, this would probably be best left to the ANBU. They would get rid of the Akatsuki much more efficiently than you could, and they are trying to capture and kill you. It just wouldn't make sense," he tried, talking the boy down from his anger, _or savior-complex, or whatever it was_.

"But-"

Neji interrupted him, "No. If you think logically about it, Naruto, there will be nothing you can do to convince her to change her mind. You won't go on this mission," Neji paused for a moment, watching the young man's face, then continued. "Do you think you could ask your sensei to visit me after you leave? I need to speak with him. After all, I know my cousin better than anyone else in the Hyuuga Compound, so I might be able to give him some pointers that he could share with his teammates about fighting Hinata-sama."

The Uzumaki's eyes hardened upon hearing her name, but widened when he still addressed her with the same suffix he always had. "Why do you still call her that?"

"Call her what?" He asked in genuine confusion, not realizing the suffix he had added to her name out of pure habbit.

"Hinata-sama. Why do you still call her that, even after what she did to you?"

The chocolate haired, hospitalized man's eyes widened in thought. "I don't really know. Old habbits die hard, I guess," he gave the excuse, knowing that it was both true, and a half truth all at once.

Looking at the prostrate young man carefully, almost suspiciously, the orange clad ninja finally nodded his head, agreed to find his sensei and pass the message, and left the room. This time, the door slipped silently into place.

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Hinata followed the leader down the hall until they arrived at a rarely-used wing. He spun on his heel, immediately halting the young Hyuuga woman in her tracks.

"How did you manage to get over your cousin's possible death so quickly. I was fully expecting you to be incapable of anything but crying for the next few weeks," Pein growled, looking the midnight haired woman directly in the eyes.

"I-I spoke with Itachi-san, and h-he helped me w-with the worst of the p-pain. M-My cousin told m-me he would somehow s-send word to m-me to tell me whether or n-not h-he l-lived. His t-teammates were good p-people, so I h-have some c-confidence that h-he lived," she admitted her uncertainty, and her much larger confidence than she would have expected.

"I see. And when word does not come that he survived? What will you do then?" The leader harshly questioned, only wanting her to be prepared for what might occur in the future.

"Th-Then I will plead w-with you to r-rid me of that memory. I kn-know there will b-be no way for me t-to live with that," this was the first time she had spoken aloud that she knew of his jutsu, and she was unaware of the way that man would take her knowledge.

The man with many piercings narrowed his eyes, nearly glaring at her, but she stood her ground and continued to meet his eyes. She was frightened, but determined in her plan. "I see. And you believe that will help you continue on with your life?" He questioned, to which she nodded. "Then so it will be."

Hinata stood completely still, wondering if he was trying to trick her, or if he truly meant what he said.

As if he were reading her mind, he assured the younger woman that he was dead serious.

_The inner machinations of Akatsuki are still as much a mystery to me now as they were when I first arrived here._

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Later, he would tell Konan that he gave in to her question-riddled statement because the young woman reminded him of her, when they were younger. But for now, he allowed a small smirk onto his face and lead the way silently back to her two overprotective ninja friends.

_I would never allow that jutsu to be done on Konan, though. We have been through too much together to change anything about us._

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Neji kept his eyes and ears figuratively open for the rest of the day, despite the strong urge to sleep and recover fully.

Finally, around three o'clock, he realized that the Hatake nin would not enter the hospital until after visiting hours were over and the nurses would not check on him for a long period of time.

Upon that realization, he allowed himself several hours of slumber. If not to heal, then simply to pass the time until dinner, when visiting hours ended. After that, he would have only a few hours to wait until he expected the copy nin would arrive.

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As he had expected, the silver haired man arrived at his window nearly one hundred and twenty minutes after visiting hours had been declared over.

"You wanted to discuss your cousin's fighting style with me?" The man simply questioned, fully entering the room.

Neji rose from his faux-slumber and sat up in his bed. He turned to face the direction of the window. "No," he replied. As though knowing that Kakashi would not question him, he continued to speak. "I want to as a favor of you."

"You don't have to do that. I won't tell Tsunade-sama that you purposely failed the mission." Kakashi said lightly, but fell silent and frozen as though he realized that Neji had already known that.

"I would like to borrow one of your summons," his request was made, simple and effective.

He watched Kakashi's brows furrow, curious as to what the older, once-ANBU was thinking. "Where would you be sending my dog, and how quick would he need to travel?" The man was now all business.

"I need to send him into the mission field that we left."

The Hatake's eyes widened, then narrowed, as though searching the younger man's face for a clue as to what he was thinking. "Her?" He simply questioned.

The chocolate haired Hyuuga nodded. "Her,"

"Pakkun, then. You have to come up with a good cover story, should you be caught," the copy nin's eyes narrowed, almost as if he were smiling. "After all, you are the genius."

Neji scowled good-naturedly as the older man summoned the small, fleet-footed dog to the room.

"Pakkun, I would like you to deliver a message to one of our former villagers, Hyuuga Hinata. The message will be from Hyuuga Neji, who is over in the hospital bed. It will be taken directly to the Akatsuki, so you need to decide if it is worth the risk. Will you do it?"

The small, brown dog looked up at his summoner. "Is the message to an Akatsuki, or to a prisoner?"

"One of the members, the now-deserter Hyuuga Hinata."

"I'll do it," the summoned dog replied.

"Aa," Kakashi agreed, telling the two males goodbye as he leapt from the sill of the window and into the night.

"I want you to tell Hinata that I'm alive, and take this," Neji said, offering the dog a small circle of cloth with the Hyuuga symbol embroidered on it.

"Is that all?" Pakkun questioned, as though wanting to be sure not to have to repeat the trip.

"Almost. Please let her know that I forgive her and hope she forgives me."

The dog nodded, the fled the village under the cover of darkness.

**(A/N: It's DONE! I had such a hard time connecting the down time between the mission failure report and the decision of attacking the Akatsuki, and the favor that Neji asked of Kakashi and Pakkun. Yall have no idea how much I struggled. Well. My cousin does. I ranted to her and asked her for advice sever [hundred] times and must have gotten annyoing, but she still listened. XD Thank goodness. I don't know if I could have finished this without my amazing cousin, Samantha! Wonderful person, she is. (: Anyway, not much more to say, other than I hope you liked this chapter of MC, and please review and come back for the next one in three weeks!**

***Kaminari no Kuni - Land of Lightning)**


	14. The Preparations

**(A/N: So. I censored all of Hidan's speech. He's going to be very out of character because he WILL NOT curse. If that bothers you, I'm sorry. But it's going to stay this way. You can fill the curses in yourself if that makes you happy.**

**School for me starts tomorrow (Monday, August 22, 2011). I'm very depressed about that. I honestly don't think I would mind it near as much if I didn't have to wake up so early for it and then stay there until very late. But, ah well. I'd much rather have school than not, I suppose.**

**Anyway. I hope you enjoy today's chapter. It's not as action-y as I'd like, and I realized that I didn't do well at preparing myself for what I wanted to happen in this chapter. So, sadly, it's another "connecter" chapter. It's also shorter than I wanted it because of that. **

**I apologize for the inconvienience, but I ****PROMISE**** that it will get better. Next chapter will have much more action, a huge fight, and the piece that made me put this story under the 'tragedy' category. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 14

"Kakashi, Jiraya, I would like you two to each take a troupe of our fastest ANBU to the Akatsuki's hideout. I don't know whether they are still there or not, but we will attack either way. It has come to my attention that they have stolen the loyalty of far too many of our ninja." Tsunade ordered the two, as promised to Kurenai. She wanted them to pick the six who would work best together, and then take the two teams as quickly as they could manage.

"Why are we attacking so suddenly?" Jiraya inquired, wondering at the unusual hastiness of their leader's decision.

"We have discovered their hideout, and they know that we have. Being as infamous as they are, the Akatsuki are sure to have more than one place where they can hide from us, and are probably moving to another one as we speak. We need to weaken them before we lose them to prevent them from doing anymore damage to our village."

The two silver haired men nodded gravely. As they were dismissed, their minds were already running wild with the dynamics of the most successful teams that could be sent quickly.

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Kakashi's mind was instantly set upon by worries of whether or not someone would discover Pakkun before he could return. He had said that he would leave Neji to come up with a lie, but that young man was still in the hospital; how could the Hyuuga manage to find a fib that would actually work?

His eyes immediately flew to the hawk circling the sky above him, waiting on its orders to search out the rest of the members that the silver haired Hatake wanted to place on his team.

That man motioned to the avian, holding out his arm so that it could land for its orders. By the time he had selected the fox, otter, and dragon for his team, everything but the upcoming mission had faded from his mind.

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Naruto had listened at the door as Tsunade had given Kakashi-sensei and Ero-sennin the orders to attack Akatsuki. He wanted to find Hinata and kill her so that the Hyuuga would not need revenge against the village itself, so he determined to follow behind the ANBU at a safe distance until he could reach that goal.

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Despite the fact that he was Kakashi's quickest summon, it had still taken Pakkun several days of travel to meet up with the scent of the Hyuuga heiress.

When he arrived in Akatsuki territory, the first thing he did was check to make sure that the Hyuuga garment was tied across his forehead in full view. He then proceeded to lift his paw in an injured manner. Hopefully, he would look only like a lost, hurt animal, instead of a threat.

As the sun progressed in the sky and he limped along, voices faded into his hearing. They were rough, but distant, and he couldn't make out the words. He made his way through the underbrush, moving toward the direction of the voices.

As they became distinct, Pakkun realized that there were only two separate voices. He listened for names, wondering whether or not they were affiliated with Akatsuki.

"Hidan, if you didn't have so much stuff, we wouldn't be the last team to arrive at the new hideout! We still have to make one more trip because of you!" A deep, gravely, masculine voice shouted furiously.

"If you wouldn't get so freaking sidetracked with all of your freaking bounty hunting, then we might have been able to make these trips in much less time!" Another voice returned, very smooth and masculine, before cursing up a storm and producing a loud thump.

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As he sat the box on the ground, the silver haired man shouted at his partner. "Kakuzu, you idiot, I can't believe you made us go after three different bounties and want to blame me for making our team the last freaking ones to move!"

"If you weren't so adamant in your rituals," Kakuzu said, making air quotes around the word 'rituals', "then it wouldn't have taken us nearly as long to collect those bounties! Besides, the money was worth the wait,"

Hidan, his violet eyes flashing, returned, "Show respect to Jashin-sama! He will curse you to burn if you don't! If you're not going to follow him, at least respect his rituals, you heathen!"

"That's it!" Kakuzu roared. "I'm leaving for the new bounty. If you don't want to get sidetracked, then go ahead to the new hideout!" He finished with an icy calm before turning his back on his immortal partner and leaving with a mere whisper of leaves.

The man left behind snarled before loungin against the newly grounded box. "Loser," he snorted.

As he reclined, relaxing in the light of the noon-day sun, he heard a whining noise coming from a small bush to his left. Turning to face the noise, he saw a dog with a cloth wrapped around its forehead. All that was on the dirty white cloth was a circle.

"What do we have here?" Hidan asked aloud, almost sadistically. "Looks like some sucker has a lost, injured puppy," the mock-compassionate tone looked like it nearly frightened the animal away, but it seemed to steel itself and press onward.

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_This was one of the Akatsuki that I would rather have not met._ Pakkun thought, steeling himself for a possible need to speak as that man mocked all sources of compassion.

"What should I do with you?" The silver haired man wondered aloud.

The brown dog decided that it might be best if he went ahead and stated his purpose. "I need to speak to Hyuuga Hinata," he said, placing his paw back on the ground. "I have a message for her."

The Akatsuki man's eyes widened at first, then narrowed once he realized the meaning of the talking dog. "You're from Konoha. Why should I let you live?" Hidan smirked, and the dog was on the receiving end of and icy purple glare.

"Take me to her, and if she's not expecting something from her village, then chase me out of your territory," the small dog stated simply, watching the reaction of the other male.

Hidan looked thoughtful for a moment.

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_It's not like that little brat of a dog could hurt me. If he's telling the truth, I'll make a good impression on the little medic, too. I might need her help with a sacrifice one day._

His thoughts and reflections showed only positives, so Hidan figured that there was no harm in letting the filthy animal see the girl. _The only thing I have to worry about is finding her without finding the new hideout._ He frowned at that thought.

It seemed that Jashin-sama was on his side, though, because Hinata and Itachi were only a short ways further up the path. Hidan shouted at them to hurry toward him.

"This little thing says he's got a message for you, Hyuuga. I let him live because he told me you were expecting him," he explained when they approached, gesturing at the small animal beside him and narrowing his eyes.

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Hinata's own widened as she took in the sight of the nin-dog. "Pakkun, what are you doing here?" She questioned incredulously.

"I have a message for you from Hyuuga Neji-san," he responded.

The Hyuuga girl's eyes lit up until she regained her control over her emotions. "Of course, follow me," she ordered, her steps a bit lighter.

"Wait a moment, Hinata-san. How do we know that he's actually sent from your cousin, and not from a Hyuuga who wants you dead?" Itachi interjected, placing his hand above her own and stopping her from reaching to take the scroll from the nin-dog.

Hinata had no reply to this, and worry momentarily filled her eyes.

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Wanting to rid her of anxiousness, Itachi looked around for a moment. He smirked slightly as he realized the perfect solution. "Hidan, would you mind taking the message from the dog and unsealing it for us?"

"Why should I do that, you unintelligent nincompoop!" He returned spitefully.

"You are the immortal one here. After all, if it was meant to kill her, you can kill the dog," Itachi assured the twenty-two year old immortal.

That man smiled sadistically, then moved to grab the scroll. Itachi watched as he unsealed it eagerly, only to be let down when it was merely a letter and not an explosive note. Newly angry, he violently threw the scroll to Itachi, who caught it with a simple flick of his wrist. "Forget it. I'm going to find Kakuzu and kill him for taking so long!" He growled, stalking off into the woods.

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The small dog growled at the remaining two missing nin. "How could you have let him do that to me?" He growled at the woman whom had once been Hyuuga.

"I am no longer of your village. I keep myself distant from all who are not my comrades. Why should I help those who are no longer among them?" she explained, seeming unwilling to meet the eyes of the summon.

The dog's fur bristled in anger. Mere moments before he would have attacked, Itachi stepped into his path. "Hinata-san, what is it that your cousin wishes for you to know so desperately that he would risk the lives of himself and the summon with whom the message was sent?"

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The Hyuuga responded with a teary-eyed glance into his face. "He's alive, but Kakashi knows that he let me hit him with that kunai on purpose," she whispered, relieved beyond words.

She didn't know how in the world she would have coped with the loss of her cousin, even for the short amount of time that she would have until the memory was taken away by Leader-sama. He had agreed to her plea, but she didn't know how long it would take him to gather all the supplies or to find a place to help her with the huge base-shift that they were still facing.

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Itachi knew the undercurrent of her message by the look in her eyes. _She was so scared that she had killed him, so this message from him shows not only that he is alive, but that he still cares about her. He isn't angry._ "I am glad that he survived your attack," he said with a nearly inconceivable smile softening his typically sharp, harsh features.

"Is there anything else he needed from you, Pakkun?" Itachi watched Hinata's previously glistening eyes turn harsh as her voice lost its warmth. Her tone, though not emotionless, conveyed no connection to her once-family.

"He wanted a reply."

"This will be the last time I ever talk civilly to him; I can comply with that," she aquiesced after a moment. Reaching into her supplies pouch and causing Pakkun to leap backward into a defensive position, she retrieved a scroll and a small travel pen.

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The midnight haired Hyuuga penned a short, heart-felt letter in return for Neji, then sealed the scroll and tossed it in the direction of Kakashi's summon.

He let it hit the ground before he approached. Picking it up, he bobbed his head to the Hyuuga and Uchiha, then backed away from them. He was soon out of sight, and his pawsteps faded away shortly after that.

The ex-heiress sighed deeply, then turned toward her traveling companion. "Is everyone almost finished moving? Leader-sama expected an attack, and now that Pakkun has shown up, I'm almost positive that the ANBU Black-Ops are not far behind. If that dog can get here in four days, then the ninja should be here shortly."

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Itachi realized that she was right, and the two instantly felt for chakra signatures in the area. Upon finding the one for which they had been searching, he called out to it. "Zetsu-san, there are Konoha ANBU approaching the old hideout. Is there anyone still out there?" He inquired, wanting to clear the area of all traces of Akatsuki before the Leaf Ninjas arrived.

"Kisame, Tobi, and Konan-san are still gathering their possessions. Kakuzu and Hidan are still in the area, but not near the old hideout. Leader-sama should be on his way down here to help Konan. **Why do you care?**" Zetsu's white side explained, but when he had given his account, his black side had to add a harsh ending.

"I am trying to keep the Akatsuki whole and not let it fall to ruins," Itachi claimed. "We need to warn everyone about the approaching ANBU," he said, turning to the petite Hyuuga woman beside him. "With winter approaching in a mere month, we need to be as strong as we possibly can. Winters in Akatsuki are always the most difficult because the villages we steal from have much less food than they do in all other seasons,"

The woman to whom he spoke nodded her head gravely, looking to the frightening plant of a man to see how he would respond. "I suppose you think I'll go ahead and warn everyone? **Idiots!**" He exclaimed savagely.

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Hinata thought for a moment, passively staring at the one who was causing trouble. "I could always cut the roots from your frame with my medical ninjutsu," she asserted, carefully observing the man to make sure that she hadn't overstepped her bounds.

He merely laughed a cruel, grating laugh. "So the kitty has claws and teeth. **And a sharp tongue.** We'll warn them, but if you ever say something so insolent to us again, you will die."

The woman addressed bowed her head slightly, relaxing her posture from that of offense and allowing her chakra to flow freely again. She watched as the man sank into the ground, wondering not for the first time how that was possible, then turned to Itachi. "We should follow him in case they don't make it out of the old hideout in time. The others may need back up."

The two quickened their steps, hastening their way to their previous destination.

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Kakashi was relieved when he felt his connection with his nin-dog wear thin on their fourth day in the forest. That meant that Neji's request had been fulfilled, and the dog was returning to Konoha. Wincing minutely as a wave of powerful chakra made itself known, he ordered his team to halt for a short break. "Naruto-kun, what do you think you're doing out here?" He ordered harshly, forcing the Uzumaki from his hiding place.

"I have to stop Hinata! If you guys kill her, the Hyuuga will want revenge against the village because Tsunade-baa-chan ordered you to!"

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"I understand your sentiment, Naruto, but you can't save everyone," a man who was like a father to Naruto tried to explain. His white hair, naturally that color from age, shifted down his back as his shoes clacked against the packed ground.

"She used to have a crush on me! I can at least make her falter in her steps long enough to be of help to you."

Jiraya stopped moving toward the young man. "When did you figure out that she liked you?"

"When Sakura yelled at me because I was asking her why Hinata faltered only when I spoke the first time we met her after her decision to leave Konoha. She told me why it was then," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand and sheepishly looking at the ground.

"I see," Jiraya said shortly. "So you think that you'll have the same effect on her now?"

"Hai!" The blonde admitted in a not-quite-loud-enough-to-be-a-shout tone of voice.

Jiraya looked to Kakashi, who nodded and sighed, then back to his pupil. "Fine. You can stay, but stay near me, and you may only fight Hinata. No one else, is that clear?"

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With a small hint of a pout, Naruto agreed, but was soon back to his former spirits upon being told they were moving out. His nearly inexhaustible chakra allowed him to easily keep pace with the ANBU, and the very next day, after a small respite of sleep for a mere six hours, they reached the stone foundation of the Akatsuki base.

At first, he held himself back, awaiting orders, but soon grew impatient. He felt several chakra signatures approaching, so he started to step forward.

A hand appeared in his vision as a kunai appeared where his foot would have landed. He narrowed his eyes in the direction of its thrower, nodding his thanks to the Panther ANBU from Jiraya's team.

He just knew that it would be a long day when the first person to appear was Hinata.

Especially when the next to appear was Kisame, shortly followed by Tobi, Itachi, and Konan.

**(A/N: There you go. I'm sorry for the cliff hanger, but I had to keep you interested somehow, right? I mean, two unaction-y, romance-lacking chapters in a row are not good for readers/reviews/enjoyment. Next chapter will be the fight, tragedy, and a good deal of angst. I do hope you decide to come back and read the next chapter. Please, feel free to drop me a review if you have any recommendation/idea/revision you would like to see in this story. I promise, if it's a revision, I will GLADLY take your advise~! Thank you for your patience with me, and even though this is two pages short of what I wanted, I'm completely prepared for a [hopefully] epic chapter 15!)**


	15. The Tragedy

**(A/N: First of all, I would like to take a moment of my author's note time to honor the brave men and women who were injured, killed, rescued, and rescuers in the 9-11 attacks. They deserve to be remembered, and their families to be prayed for. May those first-responding, brave men and women be remembered and honored on this national day of sorrow and unification. "Let us not remember this as a day of terrorism, but as a day of heroism" – Quoted from my church's associate pastor from this morning's service.**

**On another, less serious note, I can't remember if I've said this before, but Tobi is not going to be Madara in this story. I couldn't figure out how to make that work, so Tobi is just Tobi, the good boy. Also, I would like to thank you incredible people who had such patience with me in the last two chapters. You are all so wonderful! (:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto  
Warning: Much more violent than anything I've ever written before. I went all out for yall, so I hope it turned out well!**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 15

"Well, well, well. Itachi-san, look what the cat dragged in," Kisame said, observing the dark haired, Panther ANBU who stood at the front of the pack. He seemed to grin at his own pun, revealing sharp, shark-like teeth.

He looked down on them from a story of stairs, leading into a large, sturdy building. The hideout was not elaborate, only large enough for ten Akatsuki to live comfortably and train within its walls. The pale, white stone of the steps led to the obsidian door placed within thick oaken walls. Red painted pillars lined the landing where the stairs ended, holding the roof above their heads.

"Is now really the time for jokes, Kisame-san?" Itachi shot back, calmly looking at the faces of the crowd. Once more, he saw the golden hair and cerulean eyes of the boy on whom Hinata once had a crush. Without shifting his focus from the Konoha ninja, he approached the slightly younger girl. "Are you going to be okay?" He whispered for her ears only. They were too far up for the ANBU to hear, but he didn't want to take any chances.

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As much as Hinata wanted to say no, close her eyes, and run away from her once-comrades, she fought the urge. "I don't know. I don't have a clue how I should feel," she admitted, just as quiet as Itachi had been.

She knew that Itachi had heard the underlying panic in her voice, despite her low tone, when he stepped in front of her and blocked her from the view of the opposing ninjas.

"What is your purpose here?" Konan's question rang softly into the air, yet it carried to each and every ninja present.

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"We're here to stop you murdering monsters from getting away!" Naruto shouted furiously, mostly glaring through the Uchiha to the Hyuuga that had once led the pack. He would have rushed forward had Panther not intercepted him once more.

That ANBU grasped his collar and held him back, bending down to warn him in a deep, gravelly voice, "If you don't stop rushing forward, I'll allow them to kill you next time."

This stopped Naruto in his tracks. _I've been so worked up and angry about Hinata's betrayal that I've been so careless as to almost attack four Akatsuki by myself. _He nodded his aquiescence to Panther and backed further into the Konoha group.

He looked to Kakashi and Jiraya, the team leaders, and found that they were intently focused on the older woman of Akatsuki. "What's going on?" The Uzumaki demanded.

"That woman used to be one of my students. Her name is Konan, and she was one of the first people that I taught to become a ninja." Jiraya admitted. Naruto looked to his white haired sensei for confirmation, and was stunned when that man nodded in agreement.

The only thing that the ramen loving boy could make leave his mouth was one word, "Why?"

"She and the two other boys she was travelling with were orphaned by our ninja. It was the least I could do to help them survive," the elder silver haired man revealed. He raised his voice to speak to the dark haired woman, "Konan, what is the meaning of this?"

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That woman's eyes flickered in recognition before they fell to her feet. "I should ask the same of you. It is not us who are seeking a fight. It is you who are attacking," she simply stated. The reappearance of her sensei had shaken her slightly, dredging up memories that had once been precious to her, but were now painful.

She took the opportunity of glancing at each one of her Akatsuki, knowing that it may be the last time she saw them alive, and then tilted her head forward.

It was a silent motion to attack.

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The first to catch her movement was Kisame, whose sharp sight made it difficult for him to miss that type of order. He grinned fiendishly, pulling his sword from its holster on his back. He leapt forward, throwing himself in the midst of the ANBU and forcing them to scatter.

"I can't believe your audaciousness in sending only two ANBU teams and a little boy to fight the entirity of Akatsuki!" He roared, slicing the air with his sword.

Kakashi's team, the one closest to the shark-like man, leapt out of the way as quickly as they could. Otter was even forced to use _Kawarimi no jutsu_ to replace herself with a wooden log.

Her slick, dark brown hair trailed after her and was cut unevenly by the ragged-edged sword. She was on the short side of the spectrum, making Kisame look like a giant as he hit the ground less than ten feet away from her.

She kept her cool, turning her generously curved body toward the blue-skinned man and pulling the katana from its sheath on her back.

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The moment the Hoshigaki hit the ground, the fighting began. Itachi stood his ground as Konan, as the Angel of Death, made her way into the skies above the battle and the ANBU began to throw jutsu at the both of them.

"Hinata-san, I want you to listen to me, okay?" He watched as she nodded her head, looking frightened at the sudden outburst of battle. "I want you to stay as near to me as you can without being hurt by my jutsu or someone else's," he relayed what he knew would keep her as safe as possible.

He watched her hesitate for a moment.

A cry sounded from the grass-less area that surrounded them. One of the ANBU had been scraped by Kisame's sword, those jagged edges digging into the skin and ripping a large chunk of it away from the body of the Otter. The cry turned shrill as the owner of that mask had the bones of her forearm crushed on the next swing of Samehada. Along with her blood loss, the chakra that was being stolen from Otter was causing her movements to slow.

She had managed to land several debilitating inflictions on the Hoshigake, only making him more ferocious. Soon, however, she met her end as the sword continued to drain her chakra and her open wounds continued to drain her blood.

Itachi watched as Hinata observed the inhumane way Kisame fought. All that was left of Otter was a pile of shredded skin, split muscles, and fragmented bones. She shivered, wobbling on her feet, and the Uchiha held her elbows to steady her.

"What if I get in your way and you get hurt because of me?" The girl in his arms questioned hesitantly as the worry and sorrow shone in her eyes.

"You are the medic of Akatsuki. I trust you," he replied, saying not only the truth, but also what he knew she needed to hear.

Glancing back at the mangled body of Otter, she nodded to Itachi, and the two joined the fray.

"What about Kisame-san? Should I see if he needs me?" She asked as they hit the ground and stood back to back. Each pulled out several projectile weapons, keeping their focus on their surroundings, but continuing the conversation to the best of their abilities.

"He should be fine for now. I wouldn't worry about him too much," Itachi relayed to her. "We've been partners in Akatsuki for a long time, and I've seen him lose over half his blood and press forward even more powerfully."

One of Jiraya's team, the Horse, flew at the clanless ninja. His forest green hair was cropped short and spiked. He was rather tall and lanky, but his nimble fingers gave him away as the powerful ninja that he truly was. He expertly drew and tossed several shuriken between the two, forcing them away from each other.

He swiftly turned on Itachi, making sure not to look the Uchiha in the eye. Horse began making seals for _Buushin no jutsu_, and another Horse appeared. The clone, he sent do deal with the newbie Akatsuki.

The real ANBU exchanged physical, weapon-aided blows with Itachi several times, the same going for his clone and Hinata. The comrades met up between the two Horses moments later, continuing to speak without losing focus on their battle.

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"That's not healthy. If he collapses, there won't be anything we can do to stop Konoha from killing him," the ex-Hyuuga heiress commented. Her eyebrows furrowed in worry and concentration.

The clone was beginning to form other types of jutsu, so she would have to get rid of it quickly.

She began to form the hand seals for her own creation, _Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou_, allowing the chakra to flow from her palms as she released it. She managed to hit both the clone and the real Horse with several of the sharpened beams of chakra. Itachi had seen her motions and dodged out of her range the moment she loosed her jutsu. The clone disappeared, and the leftover fighter had several deep incisions from where her defensive chakra had sliced into his skin.

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"If he's that careless, then that is how it will happen. He knows that you are medic now, and he will come to you if absolutely necessary," he assured her as he came back in range, hoping that what he said was both true and enough to convince her to stop worrying.

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Her eyebrows were still furrowed, but she allowed herself to be complacent with that answer. The two Akatsuki attacked the man as one entity.

Even though she was not up to par with Akatsuki fighting standards, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Her precise chakra control allowed her to waste no chakra, and thus conserve her energy. Her newly aquired medical skills had increased her fighting styles, and she could now use _Chakra no mesu_. With a scalpel made of her own chakra, she could cut through muscles and blood vessels without an incision of the skin of her opponents.

While she attacked from the right with the _Chakra no mesu_, Itachi attacked from the front with a concentrated _Katon_ style attack. His fire lit on the Horse, and severely burnt his arm.

Because the Horse had partially dodged the fire attack by Itachi, Hinata missed her mark. Instead, she was attacked while she was recovering from the failed jutsu.

That was the very reason that she been reluctant to use it in her training, much less in battle, but the Uchiha had assured her that he would have her back in battle, so she shouldn't worry.

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Horse took the opening and moved forward, pulling a kunai from his pouch and nearly slicing into her skin. The only thing that stopped him was a powerful grip on his burnt arm. The ANBU turned to Itachi to attack, a powerful _Suiton_ jutsu, causing the man to be whisked away in a torrent of churning water.

He seemed to bite his lip to keep from crying out in pain as his arm was wrenched away from the powerful Uchiha. However, in his pain, he had made the mistake of looking into the oldest living Uchiha's eyes. Before that man had been swept away, Tsukuyomi had been cast.

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The man began clawing at the mask that covered his face, ripping his nails and jerking the porcelain away. Not even five seconds later, the man collapsed, his misty blue, lifeless eyes wide in fear and his face twisted in pain and fright. His mouth was open in a silent, never ending scream as his chest stilled and his body began to cool. Hinata observed the man, feeling sick to her stomach that something Itachi had shown him could have caused that to happen.

She forced herself to turn away from the gruesome sight and find Itachi. Her knees were unsteady, and as she ran over the sandy landscape, she nearly tripped over the uneven surface.

The Hyuuga saw someone approaching her with her Byakugan, and dearly hoped that it was an Akatsuki. Her wish went ungranted as she saw Kakashi approaching her from behind.

"Kurenai made me take this mission. She's more worried about you surviving this battle than she is me, I hope you know," the man calmly stated as he caught up to her.

On the inside, Hinata cringed at the mention of her former sensei and surrogate mother's name. "She shouldn't worry; after all, she's no longer mine to worry. Accept the fact that I will never return, and leave it at that, Kakashi," she demanded, purposefully dropping the standard 'sensei' that typically followed his name.

The Hatake raised an eyebrow at this. "She says differently. It seems that you haven't fully convinced everyone of your complete betrayal, either. After all, Neji still lives, and he admitted to me that you two planned the attack on him," he casually remarked, narrowing his focus on her unchanging expression.

"Really? I didn't know that," she responded with the same lack of urgency. "It's amazing what one can find out from other people about their own actions."

"Enough word-play, Hyuuga. I know you haven't completely abandoned Konoha in your heart. Maybe you say you won't return, but I know someone who can draw that urge from within you," the sensei said, motioning to the young man who had followed them at a distance.

Hinata had seen him coming, of course, but had vainly hoped he would pass them by. "Uzumaki," she greeted caustically.

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Konan had opted to attack Kakashi's Dragon ANBU. He looked to be the second in command, carrying himself with an air of power and dignity that most of the others lacked. His oceanic blue hair was nearly as long as her own, but his was wild in the same manner that Jiraya's had been when Konan had first met him.

Her _Shikigami no Mai_ gave her the ability to reform her body and attach wings to her back. These wings allowed her to hover above the Dragon, waiting to let him attack first.

She watched as he prepared seals for a jutsu, and attacked with chakra infused paper shurikens the moment he moved to make the seal for 'tiger'. Her attack caught his wrist, leaving it with a small slash in the muscle. However, he continued the seal, making use of the pain to fuel his power. _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_ flew from his mouth as he spit fire into the sky.

One of the paper wings caught fire, causing Konan's body to drop in altitude and her course to be skewed. Her eyes widened in temporary surprise as this caused her to catch sight of Itachi being swept away by a tidal wave.

Though her expression never changed, her mind immediately panicked, flashing to ways that she could save the man whom she thought of as a son. A thousand different ways came to mind, but none were a fast as the course of action that she decided to take.

Using this small idea to her advantage, she swept away from Dragon for a short moment, immersed herself in the water to douse the flames, and rescued the Uchiha from the surge.

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Itachi glanced gratefully into the face of his savior, seeing why the Ame villagers referred to her as 'God's Angel'. He bowed his head slightly, still struggling to breathe, as she set him back on the ground.

Her singed wing gave her the appearance of a fallen angel, but Itachi held this thought about how beautiful the Akatsuki mother figure looked for only moments. He thanked the woman, then turned his attention immediately to the battlefield, searching out his Hyuuga companion as Konan made her way back to her fight.

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She approached Dragon, soaking wet and dripping water over his head. Had she been a less serious woman, she would have smirked at the anger that crossed his face. "Your fire technique will not help you much anymore," she advised him.

Predictably, he brought his hands back up to form signs. The origami kunoichi sighed, wondering if all Konoha ninja liked to do what they had been told they could not.

When he finished his signs, however, Konan knew it had been a mistake to assume. He loosed his jutsu, this time _Fuuton: Kaze no Yaiba_. The disturbance of the air caused by the _Blade of Wind_ sliced off her wings, along with several patches of skin, and caused her to plummet to the earth.

Mere moments before she hit the ground, the blue-haired woman was able to use her chakra to create another pair of paper wings and soften her impact into rough rocks below.

She stood, rubbing a possibly sprained wrist and taking inventory of the other injuries caused by her fall. Several scratches, a few bruises, and a deep gash on the side of her waist from the attack itself were the only other pressing problems. _The gash may prove to be troublesome, but I should be able to hold out until I finish._

Dragon quickly approached the woman, taking care to keep quiet, but not hiding the sound of his advance from her.

Spinning so quickly that no eye could follow her, Konan tossed several paper shuriken at the man, making sure they were imbued and sharpened with her chakra. One imbedded itself in the man's shoulder, cutting through to the bone and drawing a sharp, quiet gasp of pain from him. Another rebounded harmlessly after hitting the porcelain mask on Dragon's face. The final one had been aimed well, landing a hit in the man's left eye through the mask's eye hole.

Forced to rip the mask off to tend to his injured eye, the Dragon's face was revealed. The man was much younger than she expected, and she found herself gazing into a single chocolate brown eye. His face lacked the wrinkles that came with experiencing death, but he was ANBU, _so he must age very well._ Konan thought, passively sad that his life had to end so soon.

She took advantage of his distraction, summoning several more paper shuriken with her chakra. They flew toward their mark, slicing through his left ear, wrist, and neck.

Dragon fell back, tossing a kunai with an explosive tag into the air.

Though she moved out of the way, the explosion shifted the air currents, pushing her back to the ground. Looking back to Dragon, she realized the thrown kunai had been a bodily reflex. The man was lying dead on the ground as blood pooled and cooled in a puddle around him.

Glancing about the combat zone, Konan saw Tobi finish off the Fox ANBU. The latter's hair was a firey orange, similar to the color of Tobi's mask. While he was not fat, this ANBU was by far, the largest member of the team. He was swift on his feet, and more nimble than his size should have allowed, she realized as she watched them parry, hit, and dodge for a few moments.

Both men were breathing raggedly, but the orange masked man was still standing tall. While Fox was nearly doubled over in pain, Tobi swung his fist into the man's head, smashing the porcelain and slashing it across Fox's face.

The ANBU growled, but his protest was cut off when the orange masked ninja fearlessly drove a kunai through the man's temple and into his brain.

She turned from the 'good boy' ninja to observe the rest of the battles. Kisame was embroiled in a bitter battle with Panther, both seeming to have inexhaustible sources of chakra.

Samehada was having a field day with Panther, Konan could tell. She watched Kisame swing at the ANBU once again, shredding the skin on his left hand, but doing no serious damage that could tip the scale of the battle in his favor.

Moving on, she saw Itachi had been intercepted by Gazelle, another of Jiraya's ANBU, on the way to meet back up with Hinata.

She had yet to see Jiraya, though. He had disappeared at the start of the battle. Wondering where he had gone, she allowed herself to land on the bloodthirsty ground. The once dry dust beneath her boots had turned to a gory, coppery mud.

"Konan," a male voice called out to her.

"Jiraya-sensei," she responded, knowing the owner of the voice immediately.

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Kisame was furious. Samehada had eaten a good deal of Panther's chakra, but that man must have had _stores of it equal to mine! Who is this guy?_ He thought, striking out with the sword once more.

This strike hit its mark. Panther's tall stature overbalanced, falling to his knees as Kisame sent a _Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu _toward his prone form. The water shark bullets pelted into his frame, ripping his right arm from his body and sinking their watery teeth into his juggular vein.

The ANBU's life was ended as he fell to the ground. His throat had been ripped from his body, following in the path of his arm, and as his body cooled, his life's blood continued to flow into the thirsty ground.

Kisame stood above the man, smirking as he allowed Samehada to eat the remenants of the dead man's chakra.

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Itachi warily watched Gazelle as she stepped into his path. "I would love to stay and chat, but I have somewhere to be," Itachi claimed, only to be stopped by a very feminine voice.

"I don't think you do. You really should stay and play with me," she taunted, stepping gracefully toward the Uchiha.

"I don't have the patience to deal with you," Itachi told Gazelle, narrowing his eyes as she continued to stand in his way. Not only would she not move, she also wouldn't look him in the eye. Smart on the latter count, not so much on the first. He watched her bright crimson hair shift with the breeze, neither person willing to attack the other first.

An outraged war cry shouted by Naruto distracted him for a split second. In that moment, Gazelle took a chance to attack.

What she was met with, however, was a _Karasu Bunshin no Jutsu_. She hit the clone, and it burst into a flock of crows. Her voice was quietly furious when she spoke, "You will pay for thinking less of me as an opponent."

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The eldest Uchiha approached Naruto, Kakashi, and Hinata, only to find the former two standing as far away from the young woman as their fighting ranges would allow. Said woman's hands were glowing, and the Uzumaki was clutching his ribs in pain.

_She must have hit him with her Hyuuga style attack and mixed a bit of her medical training with it because there are no pressure points above the ribs._ Itachi decided. "I'm back, Hinata-san," he announced his presence.

She smiled at him as relief flooded her expression. "You're okay!" She gleefully exclaimed, turning to face him, but still keeping an eye on her opponents with her Byakugan.

The raven haired man nodded, turning to the other two men. "Five of your ANBU are dead, and we have yet to lose an Akatsuki. Do you really wish to take on five Akatsuki while your forces are diminished so greatly. You two, Jiraya, and the Gazelle are the only Konoha ninja left," Itachi informed the two.

"We have to finish what we started! We can't let you get away from us, or we'll never see Hinata again!" Naruto exclaimed desperately, trying to convince Kakashi as much as Itachi that they had to stay.

"I-" The Uchiha started to say something, but a blur of red shot past him, cutting at the back of his knees and forcing him to the ground.

He rolled onto his side, avoiding a katana through his heart. He heard Hinata approach to try to heal his legs, but she was not given proper time.

He could stand, however, and the moment his muscles began to support him again, he saw that the young woman was in danger.

He leapt into her, knocking her to the side in a last-ditch effort to keep her alive.

His reward was a shrill shriek of success from the Gazelle ANBU he had abandoned earlier, a soft cry of sorrow from Hinata, in whose arms he was held, and a small grunt from his own mouth.

He knew his death was not far off when he saw the Hyuuga's eyes fill with tears. "I'm so sorry. I told you that I would get in your way! I can't heal damage to this extent yet, Itachi-san," she nearly wailed. "I love you, but you were wrong to trust me," she whispered for his ears alone.

He smiled up at the young woman for whom he held enough love to die. "I wasn't wrong. I still trust you. It was my decision to protect you. If I hadn't moved, I would be alive, but I chose my path. I love you, Hinata-chan. Now you have to focus on the battle. Don't mourn my death, especially not right now. Protect yourself, stay alive, and now you won't have to chose between me and Deidara. I'm sorry," he said, exhaling a deep gust of air and lowering his eyelids.

"Please don't leave me yet, Itachi-kun," she whispered, clutching him tightly before standing. _If you will hold on, I swear I will come back for you._ As she stood, she schooled her emotions, seeming to all the world that she didn't care that one of her loved ones could be dying.

She glared across Itachi's still-breathing body. Kakashi and Naruto stared wide-eyed at the small Hyuuga and the red haired Gazelle.

She began to fight, using a powerful version of the Hyuuga's Jyuuken. Soon after connecting a singular hit, she realized that she would have to heal Itachi soon, or risk him being too far beyond saving.

A piercing war cry was loosed from her trachea, calling the attention of Kisame and Tobi to their battle. "I honestly wasn't going to involve them. They're the most brutal fighters in Akatsuki, aside from Hidan, and I didn't want them to have to deal with you, Kakashi, Naruto," she said, nodding to each respectively. "But you've forced my hand in this."

Before either of the three Konoha ninja could even move, Kisame swept near, blocking Hinata and Itachi from view. "You called, Hyuuga-san?"

"Gazelle attacked me, and Itachi protected me. He is dying," Hinata admitted, her voice completely empty as she spoke what she knew to be true. "Take care of the three of them for me? I need to see if there is anything I can do," she asked, sweetly smiling at the monstrous looking criminal.

He grinned maliciously down at her, for she was nearly a foot shorter than him, and shifted the fear-inspiring look to his new opponents.

Tobi followed shortly after, though Hinata didn't know exactly when. She had to tend to the katana wound that had cut into Itachi's heart.

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"Why did you feel it necessary to bring two teams of ANBU and the nine-tailed child out to fight my family?" The origami mistress of Akatsuki asked her once-mentor.

"If you had escaped, it would have taken us years to relocate your organization. We couldn't risk it. Your Akatsuki are the most wanted criminals of the Five Ninja Nations," Jiraya responded.

"And you've come to kill me now," it was a statement, not a question.

"Unfortunately, yes."

Konan nodded her head, accepting this as her fate. After all, who was she to think she could harbor criminals from her once-mentor and still coexist peacefully with him? "So you say. Your people should know their limits, though. Only you, Naruto, Kakashi, and Gazelle remain. Five of us still live. Naruto and Hinata are equal power matches, though Hinata will hold back against him. The rest of my men, however, will have no problems with killing all of you. Unless Hinata is angry, I have never heard her raise her voice, nor have I seen her fight without inhibitions," Konan imparted.

"You may want to watch her now, then," Jiraya said, awe painted on his face at the nearly silent girl whom he had seen wander through the village before she had been kidnapped.

Her hands, glowing light blue with chakra that extended beyond the reach of a normal Hyuuga medic, blurred in motions too quick for him to see fully.

Her eyes, veins of the Byakugan raised, were narrowed in what seemed to be pure hatred for her opponent. "What could have caused her to fly off the handle like that?" He turned to ask Konan, but met only with air.

When he turned his attention back to Hinata, her anger had melted away, and she let loose a cry that pierced his eardrums. The next moment, Kisame and Tobi were blocking his view of her, and he caught sight of Konan's winged shadow hovering above the three.

Upon closer examination, the white haired man realized that Itachi was lying in a puddle of crimson.

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"Itachi-kun, please don't die!" Hinata choked silently as she placed her green, chakra glowing hands to the wound, but couldn't close the hole that had been cut into his heart. "Please don't leave me," she wouldn't let the tears fall from her pearl-esque eyes while she was in the middle of a combat zone, but neither could she completely hide her devastation.

She felt a hand brush across her cheek, and she immediately grasped at it. She squeezed it as tightly as she could without injuring him further. "I am not going to live, Hinata-hime. Please, don't waste any more energy on trying to save me. Other than you, I have no reason left to live," he admitted. "And you need your energy to stay safe. Leave me, and save yourself," he sighed, gasping in a breath as pain racked his frame.

"I'll miss you, Itachi-kun. I can't just leave you to die," she admonished him through a lump in her throat. _I want to cry so badly, but I can't. I have to be strong for Itachi-kun._

She held her emotions in check, grasping for straws as she tried to find something – _anything!_ – that could help her save Itachi.

Her mind came up blank.

When she turned her attention back to the dying Uchiha, she become conscious of the fact that his hand, which she was still holding, had gone limp.

The great Uchiha Itachi had passed from the world.

Hinata finally allowed herself the chance to wail and sob, knowing that she was being protected by Itachi's partner, Tobi, and God's Angel.

For the first time in her life, she had been given someone who could grant her unconditional love, but he had been killed.

That thought crossed her mind, and her tears dried. _I'll make sure you are avenged, Itachi-kun._

She made the hand signs for the Jyuuken, pushing more chakra through her finger tips and making a blunt blade through which she could transfer her chakra in the Hyuuga style.

Kisame must have seen her stand out of the corner of his eye, and subsequently moved out of her way. He allowed her to battle Gazelle, even though she knew he would have had more fun with it.

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Gazelle was surprised when the Kirigakure defect stepped back, only to be replaced with a glowing blue hand. She gasped in pain, feeling the chakra cut into her bicep and split the muscles to the bone. Her left arm hung uselessly as she tried to fend off another attack using only her right forearm and the armor located there.

She felt the armor begin to weaken and dodged the blade just as her protection broke. Gazelle's red hair was cut short when the blade whooshed through it.

She was so busy dodging the chakra blade while submerged in misty pain that she didn't stay alert for a weapon of metal.

The ANBU spotted her mistake the moment she felt the cool bite of the metal kunai enter her larynx, cutting off any noise she could have made, ending her breathing, and flooding her lungs with her crimson life.

The red haired woman collapsed after habitually trying to fend off another attack by throwing exploding tags, soonafter drowning in her own blood.

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Hinata's rage had faded the moment the red haired woman's life departed from her body. "Now, leave," she ordered the two Konoha ninja who were standing nearby.

The two men were speechless. Kakashi recovered almost as quickly as Hinata had, trying to talk the young woman down. "Listen–" he began to speak, but was interrupted.

"I don't care what you have to say. If you want me to return to Konoha, you will either have to drag me back kicking and screaming, or dead. That is final," she dead-panned. "I have no desire to call that place home any longer, not when they have killed one of my closest friends."

"She will not be swayed, and we are far outnumbered, Kakashi-san. We should retreat now, while they are giving us the chance," Jiraya said, approaching the site.

"But then we'll lose them for good! They'll never return here again," Naruto exclaimed upon hearing the new plan.

"It would be three of us against four Akatsuki. Those odds are not in our favor, no matter how you look at it, Naruto," Kakashi agreed.

Hinata's lackluster eyes followed the three men as they backed away.

"Are you going to allow them to leave, Hinata-san?" Kisame asked, respecting the loss of his Uchiha partner.

"I exacted my revenge upon the one who killed him. Those three mean nothing to me," she stated, turning her attention to the shark-like man as he approached her. "We should bury him."

The Hoshigake nodded, gently lifting the body of the closest thing to a friend that he had ever possessed.

The four Akatsuki managed to dig a hole in an area that had not been too polluted with blood, and placed a hand-carved stone above the grave the moment it had been refilled.

_R.I.P._

_Uchiha Itachi, 24_

_Beloved by his Akatsuki family_

_Sacrificed by his village_

_May he finally find his peace_

**(A/N: So, this chapter was the first one I've ever done that was almost completely fighting. Did you like it? Did you hate it? I hope I did Kishimoto-sensei's characters justice in writing this. If not, tell me why, please! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you again in three weeks!)**


	16. The Aftermath

**(A/N: Okay. So. I'm excited because tomorrow, October 3, is my BIRTHDAY! :D But, sadly, it is a Monday, so I'll have to go to school… Oh well. My mom is bringing me Chick-fil-A, so it's going to be an okay Monday. Now, typically, no one likes Mondays, am I right? I'm pretty sure that I am. But tomorrow will be an okay one. Anway, I just wanted to let you all in on the excitement. Know what I did for my party? Had a Disney movie marathon. All three of the Lion King movies, both Mulans [we watched the first one twice], and Tangled. I'm not ashamed of having a Disney marathon. Not even slightly, even though I am old now, it was fun to go back and remenisce. *sighs* So now I suppose I should let you get on with the story that you came here to read, right? **

**WRONG! XD Nah, just kidding. Mostly a recovery chapter, a bit of introduction to some stuff, you'll see. Not nearly as much excitement as last chapter though. I don't think I will ever be able to do something that violent and bloody again, but there's always hope, right? **

**Disclaimer: I do not/will not ever own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 16

The gravesite was crude, the stone was not made specifically to mark the body's location, and the kanji carved out by the kunai were rough, but it was one of the most touching sights she had seen in her entire life.

Konan watched as the small Hyuuga woman backed away from the stone. Inappropriately for the event, the sun shine brightly lit the area. It made the puddles of crimson glimmer as though they should have painted a beautiful picture, instead representing the bloody battle that had occurred there previously.

Her attention was caught on the other Akatsuki. They hung back, some mourning the loss of their powerful comrade more than others.

Kisame's head was bowed slightly. Though he hadn't particularly been close to the man, the Uchiha had been his backup for more years than he had belonged to Kirigakure.

Tobi didn't seem affected in any way, for he was dancing around at the top of the stairs, chasing a blue bird.

Hinata had carved the stone with a somewhat childlike determination. Thus far, her eyes had been clear, if a bit red. Otherwise, she had shown no outward signs of pain and sorrow since the Konoha ninja had fled.

Konan had been hurt by the Uchiha's death, but she had known it would happen to them all, sooner or later. His death had just happened to be sooner. Of course, that didn't make it less painful, but she knew how to deal with grief.

She was worried that Hinata did not.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Konan wondered whether what Hinata had said in the heat of battle had been true, the way she had retold it to them: she told them that she had commanded Itachi to live, "I love you, Itachi-kun; please don't leave me."

She couldn't help but doubt. _Deidara always seemed to be her stronger preference. She never really spent much time with Itachi, other than when she learned her medical jutsu from him and that week we made her spend with him. What could she be hiding?_

The blue haired kunoichi wasn't sure how long the four of them stood in the clearing in front of the house they once shared, but it must have been hours. The sun was descending through a ladder of clouds, nearing the horizon, when Zetsu finally reappeared at the hideout.

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The ex-Hyuuga heiress felt the chakra of the man before he actually rose above ground. "Why did you not stay behind to help after you warned them?" she asked hesitantly, her voice lacking the emotions it normally held.

"You only asked for a warning. I never said I would die for them. **He should have been able to fight for himself. It's his own fault that he died.** Besides, we had to warn the ones who were still in the forest," the plant-like man managed to defend himself without sounding defensive.

"I see," the younger woman said shortly. "Are there still others out there, or have they all returned to the new hideout?"

"They're gone."

"Let us do the same, then. There is no reason for us to stay behind any longer," Konan stated. Hinata knew that the older woman was worried for her, but she didn't particularly feel anything. Only empty.

The others agreed, and Zetsu dragged Tobi down the stairs. The return trip seemed to pass by before Hinata even realized that it was well past midnight, nearly dawn, even. She wondered whether they were in Kaminari no Kuni yet.

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Kisame approached the small girl whom Itachi had taken under his wing. She seemed to have been in a daze for the entirety of the trip, but when she looked up at the descending moon, the transe-like state seemed to have broken.

"We're almost back at the hideout. Are you okay? You seem a bit out of your wits, Princess," he said, making use of the way his partner had secretly referred to the girl when she wasn't around.

"I'm not sure that I feel at all. I almost expect him to just appear beside me like he always did and everything is going to be fine, and I can use the pain to make me stronger," she admitted, though it seemed a bit reluctant.

"Well, Itachi always did tell the truth. You can do all of that. Now, I'm not really the one to come to for comfort, but if it helps, he will be missed," the Hoshigake stated, patting her lightly on the shoulder.

He wasn't used to the typically upbeat girl being so downtrodden, and it was a drastic change from her usual demeanor. He wondered if making it to the hideout _and letting her see Deidara for comfort_ would help any. _But that blonde is almost as bad at comforting people as I am!_

"Thank you, Kisame-san. I appreciate that you're trying to help me," the feminine voice of his traveling companion sounded beside him. "About how long do you think our journey will take?"

"Fifteen, maybe sixteen more minutes at this pace," he responded.

He watched her face for a sign of recognition, but instead of acknowledging his answer, she sped ahead of him, _probably to make it home quicker._

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Seven minutes more passed, and the new location for the Akatsuki hideout came into view. Hinata sighed deeply. It was nice to be back with the organization, even though she had left one of the most important ones behind her, and the other four were traveling still.

The sun was just rising over the horizon, meaning that the Akatsuki ninjas would be awake and preparing for training. _Great. Now I'll have to explain to them what happened out there._

She sighed as she made the necessary maneuver, her hand signs and chakra flowing into the release of the cloaking jutsu, and entered the newly appeared stone door in the side of the mountain.

In the circular entrance hall, there were several darkly upolstered, cherry wood chairs located just inside the doorway.

A blonde blurr rushed through the open door at the opposite end of the room, and the first thing it did was latch onto the ex-Hyuuga heiress.

"I was so worried when Zetsu arrived here to tell us that Konoha had planned an attack on the old hideout, un! Are you hurt? Where is everyone else, hm?" Deidara exclaimed, looking over her from head to toe to make sure there were no visible signs of injury.

"The other four are behind me a little ways," she said, not meeting the young man's bright-blue eyes.

"Four? What happened to the fifth, hm?" The blonde asked, hesitating when he realized the amount of blood that covered the younger girl. "Who didn't make it, un?" His whisper went unanswered for several more moments.

"Itachi-kun," she finally responded, her tone marred with a note of despondency.

As much as the blonde had hated the Uchiha, he hadn't wished death on him. He closed his eyes as the full impact of her words hit his eardrums. He was dead. His rival was gone. She had called him '-kun'. Her usual glimmer was subdued under a coat of crimson blood – quite a bit of it was probably Itachi's. "Come on, let me show you to your room," he said instead of addressing the distressing news, he decided to try to distract her.

He wrapped his arm around her bloody shoulder, not at all worried about his clothes getting stained, and led her down the hall he had come from previously.

He passed Pein while leading the girl. "The others will be back soon; I'll let them explain, Leader-sama," Deidara said, bowing his head and walking onward.

He stopped in front of a tall, oaken door. Opening it, he gently pushed her into her room. He followed shortly behind her. "This hideout is much larger than the other, so we each have our own rooms, yeah. This room belongs only to you, but we all have two beds in our rooms. If you need me, my room is right across the hall from yours, mm," he pointed in the door's direction, and then to another one, "That room is your bathroom. I want you to go in there to scrub all the dried blood off your body, hm. I'm sure you'll feel warmer and at least a bit better afterward. Once you're dressed, walk across the hall, okay?" He felt her nod, then released her shoulder and retreated from her room. At the door, however, he paused. "If you aren't out in an hour and a half, I'm going to come check on you, yeah. Don't take too long," he closed the door behind him.

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Word quickly spread through the Akatsuki ranks that Itachi had been killed. The last to find out had been Hidan, and he had cursed using several colorful words that never need to be strung together again. After the initial impact, however, Hidan asked about Hinata and how she was taking it.

Konan relayed the battle to him, and he gave a low whistle. "Who knew? She really did have some deadly claws."

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Methodically moving about on auto-pilot, Hinata went through the motions of undressing and stepping into the shower. The water was cool at first, but soon warmed. She let the water run over her face and down her body, closing her eyes and letting herself relax for the first time all day.

It was difficult, but she eventually brought her mind to scrubbing the blood off of her body. The water flowing down the drain was still pink, and she knew that she would have difficulty getting the sticky substance out of her hair.

She lifted the soap and washcloth from the shower wall. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she absently wondered who had set up her room. All she had done was bring boxes into the main foyer of the lair.

Finally, the blood was mostly gone from her skin. She lifted her vanilla-scented shampoo bottle and began the long process of cleaning the blood from her hair.

When the water stopped running pink, she lifted the conditioner and went through the cycle once more, then shut off the water and stood in the shower.

She wearily lifted a towel from its rack, dried off her skin, and dressed. She didn't know how long she had taken, and she didn't want to take the chance of Deidara entering to see her undressed.

The Hyuuga woman towel dried her hair as best she could and left the bathroom. She made the short journey across the hall to Deidara's room.

"Deidara-san?" She quietly called, lightly knocking on the door.

It opened, and the blonde man looked out at her with something that looked akin to relief. "What took you so long, hm?"

"It took me a while to get the water to stop running red. Did the others make it back safely?" She asked in return, attempting to divert his attention away from her and her mental health.

"They did. Konan and Kisame were rather worried about you, but I told them I would make sure you were okay, yeah." He smiled softly at her, watching as her eyes began to fill with tears for the first time since the day previous when Itachi had died in her arms.

"Arigatou," she sniffled, lowering her eyes to stare at her feet.

Her chin was lifted by Deidara, and she frowned at the sorrowful look on his face. _He hated Itachi, yet he is still sad that Itachi is dead… for my sake._ This thought brought more tears to her eyes, and soon the crystal droplets were slipping down her cheeks.

Deidara let go of her chin and opened his arms, waiting for her to embrace him. _Making sure it's okay for him to hug me._ She lent into his chest and began to sob, burying her face in the fabric and grasping the cloth over his shoulder as she had so many times with Itachi.

She slowly shifted her weight so that she was completely resting against him. Had he moved, she would have fallen limply on the ground, but she trusted him. She was sure that he would be there to support her throughout the next several days as Itachi's absence became truly pronounced. She rested her bend head against his shoulder, almost curling into herself so that he could rest his chin on top of her head.

Had it been another moment, in a happier time, she would have laughed at their lack of height difference, but now it only reminded her of how comfortable she had been leaning against Itachi.

Not that she wasn't comfortable with Deidara. She felt cradled in his grasp, yet free also. It was a feeling that she had never experienced before.

The blonde explosives expert did not offer soft murmurs to distract her, nor did he tell her everything would be okay. He didn't tell her to get over it, nor did he tell her that she would get past it. He merely held her and let her cry without judgement.

With the Uchiha, she had always felt as though she was a burden because of his brisk manner, and the way he constantly tried to distract her from her sorrow. She had felt loved, of course, but he was not very adroit at showing the depth of his feelings.

However, with the ex-Iwa nin, she felt cherished, as though he could spend all day standing with her in his arms without losing patience. He was a few inches shorter than Itachi, with a slighter build, but broader shoulders.

Both of them truly cared for her, and the decision would have been a hard one to make, but that hadn't meant that she wanted one of them to die. Especially not when that person was only fighting to protect her. "It's all my fault he's dead," she whispered when her tears had calmed enough for her to form words.

"It is not, Hinata-san, and you know that. Don't take responsibility for his death when you don't have to. Losing him will be hard enough, but if you convince yourself that it is your fault, then you will never move past this troubled time in your life," he said compassionately, "What would make you think that it's your fault?"

She closed her eyes, not wanting to see his expression when her logic made sense to him. "Because you kidnapped me and trained me, I became one of the Akatsuki. Since I was Akatsuki, Konoha found out where our hideout was, and they came to get me back. I made them mad, so they came back to fight us. Since they came back for me, I was told to stay close to Itachi-san's side. I am the medic, and because I missed my mark, Itachi-san was killed. Even though I am the medic, I could do nothing to save him. It's my fault he's dead," she wanted to wail, but she didn't want to be heard by the rest of the organization.

She didn't even realized that she had reverted to calling him 'Itachi-san' again.

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His eyes lit up slightly at the formality she had unknowingly added to his late rival's name. Maybe she hadn't truly been in love with him. Maybe a familial love, but not **in** love.

_Good thing I told Konan to warn everyone to stay away from this wing for a while. Hinata would be mortified if anyone saw her like this. I don't know what to do. I've never been good at dealing with the deaths of people close to me, so how can I offer her any advise?_ Deidara's mind shouted the question at him several times before he finally admitted defeat. "Listen, if you're going to take the blame like that, then it still isn't your fault. It's mine," he stated, hoping he wasn't making a huge mistake.

Tear-blurred eyes blinked up at him confusedly. "What do you mean?" She questioned, momentarily shocked out of her pain.

"I'm the one who kidnapped you, right? If you're going to take the blame like that, I am the root of the problem, not you, Hinata-san," he bowed his head, hair shadowing his eyes, to look to the side. Anywhere but into her eyes.

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Her eyes widened marginally as she realized the truth in her statement. She could not blame herself for something that general causing Itachi's death.

"Hinata-san, it would have happened anyway. Someone would have found us eventually, and even still, everything would have played out the exact same way," he finished, cupping her cheek, but still not looking into her eyes.

She sniffled again, searching his face for any sign that he was lying to her. Knowing that she would find nothing, whether he was being untruthful or not, it was a short process. "Are you sure no one will blame me?" She faltered for a short moment, then continued. "I'm going to miss him. When you two fought before, I used to get so frustrated. Now, there's so much that I would give to get those back,"

"I understand. I felt the same way when my parents died. But listen to me," here he paused, placing the fingers of each of his hands on her shoulders and drawing her away from him. "You have to get past the guilt and saddness or it will eat you alive. Either you learn to stop feeling, or you accept the past and learn from it."

_He's finally meeting my eyes again. _She watched him and his facial expression for a long moment. Finally, "How?" she asked, running the back of her hand across her left cheek.

He tenderly shifted the hand from her left cheek, instead taking his thumb and swiping the tear tracks away as lovingly as he was capable. She gave him a watery, miniscule smile, taking hold of his hand as he moved to put it around her back once more. "Thank you," she whispered, lowering both of their hands to their sides.

She backed away from him, retreating into her room and shutting the door with a click.

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He heard the mechanical sound of the door locking behind her and worriedly looked at it, as though he could see through it.

_I hope you are going to be okay, Hinata-hime. I don't know how this will change you, but I hope you let us go through this together._

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Hinata buried her head in her pillow, confused beyond words. She was in a strange room, in a strange land, with a strange atmosphere about it. And to make matters worse, Itachi was dead, Deidara was acting much more sober than usual, and the loving way he had held her was doing things to her mind.

_I love both of them._ She hadn't realized that while she was in the field, holding Itachi's body in her arms and crying her pain to the sky. She hadn't been able to really think on her feelings lately, but she knew for a fact that she loved Itachi.

She had possessed a crush on Deidara until she had begun training with Itachi. She knew the crush would never go away, but her feelings for the Uchiha were so much stronger than the ones for Deidara.

Deidara had been her first kiss, and both of them were on shaky ground there. She had believed that there could definitely been deep feelings between them, if given time to develop.

Instead, she had inadvertently focused on her relationship with the raven haired man, so that she could ensure her place in Akatsuki.

_Maybe if I had focused on Deidara, this wouldn't hurt as much,_ she thought, then immediately dismissed the idea. _Either way, it would still be very painful._

She rolled onto her back, contemplating her choices and the future of the organization. Would she take Itachi's place, rather than have Pein rearrange the teams to make room? _What if Kisame-san is angry with me for letting his partner die?_

The last thought struck horror into her heart. Immediately, she stood back up, unlocked and opened her door, and knocked urgently on Deidara's.

The moment the door slid open, she threw herself into his arms and buried her face, panicking, into his shirt. "What if Kisame-san is angry at me because I wasn't skilled enough to keep Itachi-san alive?"

"Did he seem angry on the trip up here?" Deidara asked, making a mental note to talk with the shark-like man if it was true. His mouth twisted into a feral grimace, wanting to save Hinata from the pain, but completely incompatible with emotions such as the ones she was experiencing.

"Iie, but you are all so good at masking your emotions. I can never truly tell," she admitted slowly. She seemed almost ashamed at her lack of ability to read the S-class criminals, but soon shook it off, he supposed, because the look disappeared. He felt her weight shifting to lean on him again, and appreciated it. It meant she trusted him.

"He probably wasn't. He thinks of you more as a little sister than anything. I can't imagine that he would blame you for not knowing something. More likely, he was worried about you for the entire trip home. The first thing he did when he walked in the door was to find me and tell me that I had to talk to you. The only thing he didn't know was that I already had," Deidara smirked playfully at her, running his fingers through her hair and then patting her head with his fingertips.

"Oh," Hinata made a surprised sound at the information he had given her, but otherwise gave no response.

"Are you feeling better now, Hinata-san? I know you've had a rough night, so you probably need to rest,"

There was no reply, so he said the same thing again, slightly louder. He stroked his fingers down her hair, then gently placed them against her face.

She didn't move a muscle, and he realized that she was asleep. For a moment, he stood in his doorway, wondering at the trust she had placed in him. He could do anything to her, from drop her to kill her, and she would be completely at his mercy.

His eyes softened as he knelt as carefully and smoothly as possible to lift her body into his arms bridal style. He carried her into her room and gently placed her under the covers on her bed.

He removed her outer cloak and lifted the covers over her body. The blonde shivered, reminding himself that, in this hideout, it would be a good idea to keep his own outer garments on so that he could stay warm.

Stupid cold cave inside of the mountain. At least it was hidden better than their other lair, and there wasn't as much need for a huge concealment jutsu.

"Deidara?" He heard his name as a half-asleep, almost-whispered question from the mouth of the young woman whom he loved.

"What is it, Hinata-san?" He murmured in return.

"I do not want to sleep alone tonight," she confided, eyes blinking shut for a long moment before opening again.

He approached her side, wondering at her forwardness. She reached up and hugged him, then allowed him to lie beside her. The Hyuuga girl snuggled up to his side, resting her head on his chest as her breathing evened out and she truly slept.

Deidara was wide awake at first, but soon his eyelids began to droop. He had spent the entirety of the night before in wakefulness, worrying about the petite raven haired beauty by his side.

Before he was even aware that he was tired, he was sleeping soundly by Hinata's side.

**(A/N: And there you have it. Mysterious Captivation Chapter 16, up for your viewing pleasure. I do so hope you enjoyed this installment, and let me know if there is anything that I can do to make this better. I'm open to all constructive criticism, and even flames, as long as they are well based and legitimate.)**


	17. The Reconciliation

**(A/N: Oh wow. I am so sorry! Please forgive me! I've made you wait three weeks for such a short chapter. I've been very busy lately, and work just piled up on me, but I honestly have no excuse for such a short, late chapter. Again, I'm really sorry. Just an extremely conflicting schedule with too much planned for one weekend without my notice… as usual…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 17

She awoke groggily. Unsure of the time, she rolled toward the window in her room, though she kept her eyes closed. She knew if she had something that she had to do, she would have been awakened already.

She could hear Deidara's soft, restive breaths at her side. Her eyes burnt, and her face was rather stiff. At first, Hinata couldn't figure out why.

She opened her eyes, initially panicking. _Why can't I see anything?_ Breifly, she thought to awaken Deidara, but her memories of the past few days caught up to her before she could reach out to him.

Her breath caught in her throat and a choked sob turned into a thin cough. Her eyes, already exhausted from the multitude of times she had cried earlier, did not fill with tears.

Once again, she rolled over, now facing Deidara. Watching his soft, even breathing pattern, she matched it to her own. She let her still-weary eyes close, despite the burning that caused. As her breathing slowed and her eyes cooled, her mind's racing thoughts began to calm.

Once more, she was asleep.

_She was kneeling in a sticky puddle of fresh blood. It was all over her hands and knees, but it wasn't the blood of her first victim. Though that man's blood would exist forever in the cavernous depths of her conscience, she knew for a fact that this wasn't his. The room was dark, but the blood shone a sickly, crimson red. _

_She stood, heard the slimy, metallic substance slip down her arms and drip off her clothes. "What is going on?" she whispered, allowing herself a tone of confusion. "Whose blood is this?" she nearly shrieked._

_A voice, near her ear, responded in with a whispery breath of air. "It is mine,"_

_Clearly masculine, Hinata at first mistaked it for Aburame Shino's. She hadn't seen him in many months, though, and she had renounced Konoha, so that made no sense._

_The Hyuuga heiress's next thought was that it was Uchiha Sasuke. That man had been gone even longer, but she had just spent many days of the past months in the presence of his brother, Itachi…_

_That was when it hit her. It was Itachi's voice._

"_Itachi-kun," she whispered back._

"_No, Itachi-san," he told her. "You never really meant that suffix that you used while I was dying," his tone was not harsh, nor was it welcoming. He was not condemning, merely telling._

"_Yes I did," she demured, arguing her point. "I loved you!"_

_She heard movement behind her, but was too frightened to turn around. She didn't want to lose him, and if he wanted to be seen, he would have approached her from her front or would tell her to turn._

_She could only assume that he was shaking his head the moment he began to speak. "You did not. Somewhere within you, you wanted me to live. You thought that you would give me a reason to live by telling me you loved me. You __**knew**__ nothing could heal me, but you still told me. I died in a panic because of you!" His words had turned accusatory, shredding pieces of her heart as each word bit into her. "I hung on to life for as long as I could. I wanted to live for you, and I panicked when I thought of leaving you alone, loving a dead man. How could you?"_

_Tears streaked down her pale cheeks, dripping into the already salty blood below. Her eyes were clogged by darkness, her nose by bloody scents, her touch by slimy liquid, her taste by metallic crimson. All she could hear was the steady pounding of the heart behind her, the heart that no longer beat._

_It haunted her ears, the only sensory organs that she could use. The steady drumbeat was becoming irregular, blood was rising around her ankles. Her own breathing was quickening. Thinking fast, realizing deep within herself that, while he would always be an integral part of her being, what he had said was true._

"_Itachi-san, please," she began to beg, clasping her hands against her chest with a squish. "I admit that I don't love you like I made it out that I did! I-" she broke off, a sob once again catching in her chest and making her cough until her air supply was failing. She felt a hand on her shoulder, felt the blood dripping from it down her jacket. Suddenly, she could breathe again. "I do love you, but I am not in love with you," she apologized with her tone._

"_I know. In my death I was terrified to leave you alone, but I know that now. I will always love you, so hold my memory dear in your heart, but do not live in pain forever," he stated. "You were unable to save me, but maybe I didn't truly want to be saved."_

_The voice, once strong, had begunt to fade. The irregular heartbeat was slowing, becoming lethargic and faint. The blood continued to rise around her. Her shins, covered by the just-below-the-knee fabric of her pants, were soaked. The bandages that she had wrapped around herself were turning crimson. _

_Soon, she would drown. She had to get out, but where was she? Her eyes darted uselessly about, Byakugan activating, then deactivating when she realized her limit did her less good than her regular eyesight._

_A sudden shake sent the blood splashing. She was swept under the current for a moment, nearly gasping in a lungfull of it. _

Her eyes flew open as her body awoke.

Deidara was sitting by her side, worry written in his eyes, with his fingertips on her shoulder. He had shaken her awake, she realized belatedly. _It was only a dream. Or, rather, a nightmare._

"Deidara-san," she spoke, then stopped. She wasn't able to get another word past the lump in her throat, so she threw herself into his arms. The young woman wrapped her arms around his neck and wept into his shoulder.

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Hesitantly, he reciprocated the abrupt action. Her small frame shook with silent sobs, and her hair flowed in tangles down her back.

He paused, remembering something that he had once seen his foster father do for his foster mother when she was sad.

He patted Hinata's shoulder for a moment, then gently withdrew from her pain-filled embrace. Striding across the room, he glanced through the side drawers on either side of her mirror.

"Ah," he said, lifting up the newly acquired object and returning to the bed. He sat directly behind her, then told her to sit up with her back straight.

For a moment, she looked confused, but she obeyed anyway.

He lifted an ornately carved silver hairbrush to her hair. Beginning at the top, then allowing the soft-bristled brush to stroke soothingly downward, he listened as the young woman's breathing became easier and her breaths became deeper.

He swept her hair with the brush until it was silky-smooth, then stood once more. "Are you feeling any better?" He quietly inquired, kneeling down by her side and looking into her downcast eyes.

Her eyes moved to glance into his, then away. "Hai, Deidara-san," she whispered, "I'm feeling much calmer."

A small smile crossed his features. "I'm very glad, yeah," he strode from her side to place the brush back in its drawer. Catching Hinata's eyes on him through the mirror, he could easily see the red marks of tears marring her pearly eyes.

"I was never in love with Itachi-san," she said, the voice devoid of emotion sounded from her mouth, but Deidara didn't catch the words until a few moments after she allowed silence to descend once more.

Instead of rejoicing, however, he walked back to her side. "I'm glad that you won't have to suffer the pain of a lost love, mm." He glanced over her pale body, seeing the newly formed bruises from the fight against the Konoha ninja.

He desperately prayed that she wouldn't push herself too hard to recover so that he would stop worrying about her, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew she would. "I want you to stop right there. Don't say anthing more about Itachi unless you want to talk throug what happened, mm. You may be rested, but you are definitely not done grieving, yeah," he told her, making sure that he gave her no room for argument.

"What are we going to do about partners? With whom will I be partnered now that everything has settled down?" She entreated for knowledge that he did not possess.

"I have an idea, hm! Let's go find Leader-sama and see if we can't figure that out," he whispered conspiratorially, jumping up from the bed and nearly causing the ex-Hyuuga heiress to fall over on her side.

She pushed herself into a less precariously poised sitting position, then stood with all the lackluster of a woman who'd just lost a family member. "Let us go, then," her voice was calm, but it had no feeling in it.

"Forget everything that he taught you about hiding your emotions when you're around only me, Hinata-san. You don't need to hide from me, un. Just trust me," he implored, running his fingers through the hair at her side.

A streak of pain shot through her eyes, then disappeared. "I will, but right now we are about to leave my room, and I already look rough enough. Although, thank you very much for brushing my hair for me. It was very soothing," a note of warmth entered her previously empty voice and a small spark lit in her eyes and smile.

"Okay. As soon as we're done, we'll come back in here and you can drop that mask, hm. I promise, I'll do everything I can to help you get past this without too much harm to your psyche and heart, yeah. If there's anything – anything at all – that I can do to help you, just say the word, un. I promise I'll do my best to fulfill all your requests," he reached for her arm, making contact with her arm only with the tips of his fingers as he guided her toward the door.

She gave him a watery half-smile as he reached for the door handle. Opening the door, he gently pulled the midnight haired young woman beside him through the halls.

Arriving in the commons area, they found Kisame sitting in a plush, forest green upholstered chair that had been pushed up against the far wall. "Kisame-san, have you seen Leader-sama?" Deidara asserted his inquiry, knowing that he was only interrupting the Hoshigake's thoughts on his late partner.

"No, but Konan has locked herself in her room, so I suggest that you check there first," the shark-like man responded. His already gravelly voice sounded more rough than usual, grating against his ears, but the blonde knew that there was no one who had known Itachi who had not, in some way, been affected negatively by his death.

Leaving the room and the large man behind them, Deidara pressed onward. "Well, Hinata-san, it looks like Leader-sama might not even know what we're going to do next. First, he has to get Konan out of her room, yeah," the blonde stated, hoping to get at least a small chuckle out of the small woman by his side.

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A short distance away, Hinata heard a small voice pleading with a woman to leave her room. "Please, at least let me see you!" the masculine voice spoke.

A fainter voice, more feminine in nature, responeded, "No, I need to be alone for a little while, Pein,"

The crimson haired man merely responeded with a growl.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata put forth a few words. "Maybe I could help?" She spoke to the leader of the organization.

He took a deep breath, possibly readying to start yelling, before letting most of the air leave his lungs again. He was going to listen to her! "Go on," he allowed.

"We're both females who were very attached to Itachi-san," at his name, her voice faltered, and Deidara rested his fingertips against her shoulder comfortingly. "Women mourn very differently than men," she continued.

The leader nodded his head in consideration. "Alright. See if she will let you into the room. If she allows you entrance, do what you must to comfort her because she doesn't want to see me at the moment."

Hinata nodded, then knocked faintly at the door. The blue-haired woman behind the door spoke. "What is it?" she asked.

"May I please enter? I want to mourn with you," Hinata spoke, then watched as the door opened a crack. "Only me."

The older woman nodded, stood aside, and allowed the young Hyuuga woman to enter.

"Hinata-san, I didn't think you would still be awake this late. It's almost one in the morning," Konan stated as Hinata watched her close the door.

Said woman's eyebrows furrowed. "How can you tell? There is no natural light in here."

"I made sure Pein left me room for a sunny garden,"

Hinata nodded, knowing how true that could be. "The moment I got back, Deidara-san showed me to my room, told me to shower, then helped me get over the initial shock of losing Itachi-san," Hinata explained. "Then we slept. I'm not sure how long because I had no way to mark time, but I suppose it was at least ten hours since it's so late now,"

Now it was Konan's turn to nod in a knowing manner. "I can't believe he's gone."

"Neither can I. You really should let Leader-sama in here, though. He's very worried, and it may not seem like it, but men can be comforting in their own rights," Hinata showed off a small, uncertain smile before letting it slip off her lips.

Glancing charily at the door, Konana seemed to debate with herself for a moment. Finally, she nodded to herself and turned to the younger woman. "Okay. I have nothing to lose, and comfort to gain, right?"

Her opposite smiled a small, encouraging smile before heading for the door to let Konan's husband into the room.

Her parnter assignment could wait a little while. Now was a time to leave the married couple to their reconcilliation.

**(A/N: So, again, I apologize greatly for the short chapter. I feel really bad about it, but I knew if I waited to post, I would take forever to actually get it up. I thought that the dream scene turned out really well. Other than chapter 15, it's my favorite scene in the entire story. Kind of a 'beautifully morbid' thing. (: So anyway. I hope you enjoyed this installment of Mysterious Captivation, and can find it in your hearts to forgive me.)**


	18. The Partner

**(A/N: And here comes another chapter! Super exciting, right? Well, get ready to have your socks knocked off your feet, cause there's a new development coming up soon (: You'll have to read on to find out what, though. I'll give you a hint, if you like. Don't read the next line if you don't wanna know.**

**[I'mintroducinganewcharaceter]**

**So, I've had a very busy little three weeks here. I've had very little free time, and even less inspiration. BUT! I buckled down today and sat and thought about all kinds of stuff I could do to make this chapter/story better, and finally came up with something. Yes, it will prolong the story a bit, and yes, I will do my best to keep the update every three weeks schedule. So nothing much will change, but the plot line has shifted, now! **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter lots!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 18

Hinata quietly shut the door behind her, scanning the halls before allowing her blood-shot, puffy eyes to center on her blonde companion. "They have made up. I don't want to press them for my team assignment anymore. We can find out about them later," she told him, stepping forward.

Deidara nodded. "Okay. Whatever it is that you want to do," he replied compliantly. His previously darkened eyes lightened at the acceptance in her voice.

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Upon arriving through the gates of Konoha a full week after they had left the presence of the Akatsuki, exhausted, bedraggled, and bloody, Jiraya, Kakashi, and Naruto made their way silently through the ninja district.

Many years ago, the village elders had realized the need for a separate gate for ninja coming home from missions and the rest of the population of the village when a young man had collapsed in a bloody mess at the foot of a very young civillian child. It had scarred her for life, and the village elders had refused to allow ninja through that gate anymore, immediately commissioning the building of the North and West gates into the city.

Wearily, the trio climbed the long staircase to reach the Hokage's office.

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The short, less-than-stellar knock upon her door caused a deep-set fear to nestle its way into her stomach. "Come in," she said, loud enough to be heard through the oak wood door.

She watched the remains of the party she had sent to Akatsuki territory as they trudged through her door, trailing both blood and dirt across all materials with which they came into contact. The dirty, smudged print of a fist had been left behind from the knock.

"What happened to my ANBU?" She ordered, eyes meeting Naruto, Kakashi, and then sticking to Jiraya's newly dirt-darkened grey hair.

"Each one is dead," Kakashi stated hollowly. "Kisame killed Panther and Otter, Itachi murdered Horse, and Dragon and Fox were killed by Konan and Tobi respectively," he reported.

Tsunade's brow furrowed for a short moment; he had named only five ANBU. "What happened to Gazelle?" She asked, wondering at the pained look that crossed Naruto's face the moment those words left her mouth.

After several long moments of silence, Tsunade repeated her question.

The almost whispered reply, given by Naruto, was at first thought by Tsunade to have been misunderstood. She asked him to repeat it, shaking her head in denial.

"Hinata did," he said, slightly louder as his eyes roamed the ceiling as though it were the most interesting thing he had ever seen.

"Hinata killed Gazelle," Tsunade repeated, unable to connect the words with the shy, passive girl whom she had watched grow for nearly four years. Upon the sight of nods from both Jiraya and Kakashi, she whistled through her teeth and sat back in her chair. Sighing, she stated, "Hinata must now be considered an S-class missing nin. We must label her as a kill-on-sight target, as the rest of Akatsuki has been labled."

None of the four looked happy about the new development, but the outside observer who had come to greet the team looked devastated. She knocked shakily on the door. Without waiting for permission, she slipped into the room, utter hopelessness in her crimson eyes.

"You can't allow her to be a kill-on-sight missing ninja! She gave fifteen years of her life to this village. One murder committed by her cannot take the place of that!" Kurenai said irrationally, voice cracking as she realized how slim of a chance there was to save her student. Her argument wouldn't even have caused her to agree, she knew.

"Be that as it may, I cannot order anything different. You need to go home and rest, Kurenai-san. The others of you need to go check into the hospital so that you can be healed, and then I want each of you to write up and turn in your mission reports. I'll have nothing less."

Three of the four ninja nodded with a frown. Naruto was strangely silent, gloomy even, as Tsunade closed her eyes and heard them file out the door of her office.

She rubbed at her temples, feeling an impending migrane and wishing that Shizune had not found her secret stash of saké the day before. She laid her head on her desk, hoping that if she ignored the other person in the room, he would go away.

"Tsunade," Jiraya spoke the moment the door closed behind the others. She groaned inwardly, then sighed outwardly. He hadn't decided to let her mope.

"What is it, Jiraya?" She questioned in response. She really wasn't in the mood for anymore bad news, nor did she want to hear about his latest 'research'.

"Gazelle killed Uchiha Itachi," he deadpanned.

That brought Tsunade's head back up to its proper height. Her hazel eyes were wider than normal. _And I thought nothing could surprise me anymore._ She sneered at herself. "How did she manage to do that?" She asked in wonderment. Not even Orochimaru had been able to accomplish such a feat.

"He jumped in front of Gazelle's katana that was meant for Hinata," the white haired man exposed with eyes narrowed and cast toward the ground.

"He committed suicide, then," Tsunade concluded with a marvelling shake of her head. It was a wonder he had lived as long as he had, tortured his little brother to the point where the younger Uchiha felt he had to leave the village, and then jumped directly into an attack that he knew would kill him _because he obviously did it for a reason_. She just couldn't fathom it.

A shadow passed through her features as Jiraya shook his head negatively.

"What, then?" She demanded in frustration, standing and crushing her palms against her desk. A loud creak sounded from beneath them before she realized that she was gripping the edges of it so roughtly that she had left hand prints.

"He was protecting her," he responded; Tsunade swore that she had heard sympathy in his voice, but it had been so long since she had heard anything of the sort from him that she couldn't be sure.

The blonde woman fell back in her seat, pinching her thumb and pointer finger around the bridge of her nose. "He loved Hinata," she deduced. "He loved her more than his own family, didn't he?"

Jiraya nodded, turning his face away. "I almost feel bad for what we've done to him and Hinata. It's a pity that Konoha's most prestigeous clans are the ones that produce the most powerful criminals. After all, who wouldn't go insane with all the pressures that they put on their children?"

Tsunade's eyes turned and met his sharply. "I'm not so sure about that, Jiraya. I think that every single one of our Uchiha defects are perfectly sane. And so is Hinata. I've done psyche checks on Hinata, and other than several inconsistencies with self-confidence, her mind has been perfectly healthy. I assume that the Uchihas are the same way,"

Now it was the toad sage's turn to look frustrated. "Why do you say that?"

"If they were insane, they wouldn't have lived this long. An insane person would have been captured or killed by ninja years ago. They would have gotten sloppy in their work the further from their minds they were driven. Their chakra control would have degenerated along with their brains. The only reason that Orochimaru lived as long as he did was because he was able to switch bodies before his brain cells were destroyed by his madness," she told him, the knowledge of the technicalities of being insane the only thing stopping her from agreeing with her once-teammate.

"So they truly dislike Konoha as much as they say they do," he sighed, beginning to rub at his temple also.

_I really need to stop letting him in my office so often. He's picking up my habits._ The asinine thought entered Tsunade's head, but she soon figuratively shook it away.

"What are we going to do about them?" He asked her after several moments of silence.

"One of them is dead. That leaves Hinata and Sasuke, right? If Sasuke learns of his brother's death, what do you think will happen?" She prompted, a malicious grin stretching her lips in a grimace.

"He will want revenge on the person who took his life's goal from him," Jiraya answered slowly, as though patching Tsunade's plan together for himself. "When he learns it was a Konoha ANBU, then he'll come here. But how will he react when he's told that it was Hinata who killed Gazelle?"

"I don't know. But it would be better for him to be angry with Akatsuki still, rather than us. After all, there is no way Naruto would let us kill Sasuke and still look on us with good favor. At least if Sasuke attacks the Akatsuki, we have a chance of him leading us to them and killing some of their members."

Her white haired conversation partner nodded his head in agreement. "I'll talk to some of my sources, tell them to get the word out,"

Tsunade also nodded, confirming his plan. "Go now."

He disappeared from sight, off to speak with his spy near the border shared by Oto and Hi no Kuni. She wasn't sure exactly where that border was located, _as much as that infuriates me,_ because he refused tell her and possibly cause his informant unnecessary trouble.

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Approaching the training room of their current lair, Deidara heard the soft pants and snicks of a training ninja. He frowned, knowing exactly who it was that was training. He let his chakra flare to obvious, unignorable levels, then opened the door and spoke. "Hinata, you can't keep pushing yourself like this. If you do, you won't be fit for missions," he admonished her, shaking his hair out of his eye as it fell out of its messily done-up ponytail.

"I have to get better as quickly as possible, Deidara-san," she said, not breaking from her katas as she fluidly snapped a kunai from her target, only to hit it dead center with a senbon mere seconds later.

Deidara watched her as she panted. Even still, she was graceful and noiseless as a ghost, aside from her breathing. She had been training during all free time since she had gotten her team assignment a week ago.

She was paired with Kisame.

The blonde explosives artist had thought she would be paired with him, and Tobi shoved off as Kisame's responsibility, but it hadn't happened that way.

Hinata hadn't given him the reason, though he knew that she knew why. _Why won't she tell me, I wonder._

He had been tempted to question Leader-sama, but then thought better of it. He knew that, with Kisame, she would at least be safe. If he couldn't be her partner, then the Hoshigake, as little as he liked to admit it, would be his second choice.

After all, the shark-like nin was powerful, nearly impossible to kill, and had seemingly endless amounts of patience. _He did, after all, deal with Itachi for years, and that's no easy feat._

Ever since Hinata had gotten her partner assignment, though, she had been training relentlessly. She would keep herself up into the early hours of the morning, sometimes even staying up all night long.

During the nights, she would rarely get more than six hours of sleep before she was awake again, and back in the training room. The young ex-Hyuuga woman had already destroyed more training dummies than he cared to number.

She didn't even break to eat more than two meals a day, even when she was awake for the full twenty-four hours.

"Hinata-san, if you keep doing this to your body, you aren't going to be able to survive much longer," he tried to appeal to her wish for strength.

"This is how Tsunade trained the medical ninja's chakra system to be able to handle the stress of the battlefield, and it's also how she helped their reserves grow. Considering that she is the most powerful kunoichi there has been in many years, I will follow her program. No offense Deidara-san, but I think she would know more about it than you," Hinata responded harshly.

He frowned in return as he approached her. Her temper had been incredibly short lately. It was almost as though the midnight haired woman was turning into a completely different person. _Maybe I should ask Konan about it?_ He wondered to himself, before dismissing the thought. If the younger girl found out that he went to her about this, he had a feeling that she wouldn't speak to him for a long time.

When the ex-heiress did nothing to slow her training or acknowledge his presence any further, he sighed, knowing that he would have to hurt her to get her to see reason. He just hoped that she would forgive him. "Hinata," he spoke roughly, dropping her suffix and reaching out his hand to catch her wrist in a nearly bone-crushing hold.

She turned cold opal eyes to his face. "Let go of me, Deidara," she responded, following suit.

"If you keep pushing yourself to exhaustion like this, we will have no more use for you because you will be unfit for missions," he growled, sneering at the younger girl before dropping her arm and turning his back to her in disrespect.

He crossed the room to leave, throwing a self-righteous glare over his shoulder. It took all that he had not to turn instantly around, rush over to her, and apologize. He crushed his emotions into a deep corner of his mind as he had done so many years ago.

Grinning at her unapologetically on the outside, he saw the only spark of life in her eyes for a week dim its light before her eyes closed.

He watched her waver on her feet. She stumbled for a small moment, as though her body was unused to standing still and needed to keep moving to stay standing.

Suddenly, she went limp and her body fell forward. "See, Hinata-chan, look what you've done to yourself," he whispered as he caught her unconscious body before it hit the ground. He hefted her into his arms, jostling her to get a better grip on her dead weight, and carried her bridal style to the room he hadn't been in since the night she and the others had returned from Itachi's makeshift grave and the preceding battle.

He gently shifted her in his arms when he saw her bed, which looked cold and uninviting at the moment. It was unadonrned by its usual lavender sheets, pillows, and blankets. All that it had was a thin sheet of coarse material and a emaciated, roughtly used pillow.

Sighing, he turned and backed out of Hinata's room, and walked across the hall to his own, much more comfortable looking one.

He placed her under his covers, gently brushing her hair away from her face. Even in sleep, it appeared, she was not relaxed. Another whispered sigh passed his lips, "What have you been doing to yourself? What's driving you to do this, Hinata-chan?"

Knowing she would give him no answer, even had she been awake, he stood from her side and walked to the kitchen to find some food for when she awoke, knowing that she would be very hungry. _It's only a mater of actually getting her to eat._ He bowed his head, rubbing his hair-shadowed left eye.

"Deidara?" He heard a voice question from behind him. The explosives artist heard the underlying question that the other had been too prideful to directly ask: _Are you okay?_

"It's nothing," he bit out, turning to the blue-skinned man behind him.

The Hoshigake nodded acceptingly, and it would have been considered uncaringly had he not gone against his personality and asked in the first place. "Have you seen Hinata-san anywhere?" He asked.

Deidara narrowed his eyes at the man. "Why?" He responded suspiciously.

"I haven't seen her all week, and I need to tell her that Leader-sama has given us a mission,"

The blonde's visible eye stayed it's regular size, but he allowed his hidden one to widen. "When do you two leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. Since you obviously know where she is, just let her know for me." Kisame ordered, turning away with an unexpectedly cat-like grace.

"She's sleeping. Were you aware that she's been training herself ragged for these past few days? She has gotten maybe twenty-five hours of sleep this past week, along with training almost to the point of passing out and only two small meals a day. Did you say anything to her about her strength that would make her do that?" He demanded threateningly, a large accomplishment, considering the stature and looks of the man whom he addressed.

With each passing action revealed, the large Hoshigake shrunk dimentionally. At the acusation, however, his powerful physique returned. "I would never do anything like that!" He roared in a whispered voice, then continued guiltily, "I had no idea she was doing any of that. Hinata-san is my partner, now, so that means I need to make sure she's okay. I guess I just figured she didn't need anyone other than you," he finished, turning the blame to the ex-Iwa ninja.

_It's not like I don't feel bad enough about it already._ Deidara thought sarcastically, maliciously sneering at the shark-nin. "Well, you shouldn't assume so much," he caustically replied. "I have other business to attend to sometimes, and I have the feeling that she didn't really want to see me at all. After all, it was me and Itachi that she was torn over. Losing the Uchiha hurt her, and seeing me would obviously remind her of him! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab some food for her to eat when she wakes up."

_If she'll forgive me for my horrible insult._

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"What did you say?" His icy-cold voice spoke upon hearing a name mentioned as he passed a young man on the street.

The civillian man turned to look at him before stuttering out a repitition of what had been previously stated to his friend. "I-I said th-that I heard f-from my d-dad that U-Uchiha Itachi, th-the Akatsuki ninja, h-had been k-killed th-the other d-day."

"That's what I thought you said," he said, his raven hair falling into his face as his head bowed. The young man blinked, and suddenly the one he'd been speaking to was gone.

He always had liked the expressions on their faces when he did that to the oblivious civillians. A cruel smirk twisted his features for a moment, then dropped to the ground. _He is finally dead._ He thought, emptiness curling in his chest in response to his stolen life's goal. _I must find his killer and destroy them for stealing the one thing that could have put the Uchihas at peace forever!_

**(A/N: Ah! I'm pretty sure that everyone knows who I'm talking about in this last section, but if not, it'll make much more sense in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading this installment of Mysterious Captivation, and I sincerely hope that you liked it enough to come back and read the next one! (: Review if you'd like! If you do review, let me know how you liked it, what you didn't [if you didn't], and what you'd like to see me improve/change! See you in a little while!)**


	19. The Waking

**(A/N: Not really all that much to say. I've been swamped with school work lately. Finals this week for my two college classes, but then I'll be getting a nice month long study hall during first block, so it's all gonna be good. I hope. (: Well, enjoy chapter nineteen!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 19

Kisame stared at the blonde in shock. "I hope you realize that I was his partner. I will bring more memories of him to her than you would. At least you would show her how much she still has to live for. I don't know how she sees me, so I have no idea how to approach her."

Deidara seemed to hesitate, opening his mouth, but not allowing any sound to break forth until several seconds later. "She was afraid you were mad at her because her medical skills were not developed well enough to keep Itachi alive, yeah," he admitted. "Other than that, I have no idea how she sees you."

Kisame hummed thoughtfully. _I'll have to make sure she knows that I am not angry, but worried. She is fragile._ He nodded to Deidara, then moved forward past the wall of cabinets on the right side of the kitchen to the large refrigerator at the far wall.

Withdrawing a thick cut of steak after a glance at the only clock in the room, _Perfect for my lunch!_, he turned to the stove on the left side of the room, below the microwave, and surrounded by countertops on either side. Various cooking utensils were located on these surfaces, from frying pans to knives and cooking spray. _We should organize this stuff instead of leaving it out like this._ He thought practically, placing his steak on the grill located beside the burners on the stove.

As the smell of cooking meat rose into the air, so did the smoke. Unused to the cavernous, closed in space, he thought nothing of the smoke until it began to get rather difficult to breathe. Looking up at the ceiling, only slightly more than three feet above his head, he couldn't even see the stone above his head.

"Hoshigaki, you idiot! Are you trying to kill us all, hm?" Deidara shouted, coughing as though he had only just realized why the oxygen had disappeared. "Turn on the vent on the microwave or something, un!"

Kisame growled. "Just because you think you knew how to cook in the old hideout doesn't mean that it's the same here. There was never a problem with smoke back home," he listened to the blonde anyway, despite the small blow to his pride. "Why are you still here, anyway?"

"I can't find any chicken noodle soup, un. I've heard it's really good for sickly people," he admitted, eyes drifting as he realized just how frightened he was for the ex-Hyuuga heiress.

"I think there is a can of it in one of these cabinets. Why would it be in the refrigerator?" The shark-like man questioned in an attempt to make fun of the explosives expert, but the shorter man took no notice.

"Thanks, yeah," he breathed a nearly imperceptible sigh of relief, moving away from the cold doors; he seemed to have left reality to sink back into his profound pit of worry.

Kisame shook his head with worry; _Princess must be in a terrible state for him to be that worried_. He watched the blonde as he pawed through drawers of unorganized kitchen ware, probably searching for a soup spoon and a bowl. "Shouldn't you find the soup first?" He asked.

Deidara didn't even seem to hear him speak. The Hoshigaki flipped his steak, making sure it wasn't over cooked, then went to the dry goods cabinet to get the soup himself. After several seemingly long moments of the two men searching the kitchen, and looking extremely out of place, they met in the center of the kitchen.

Kisame held out the container of soup to the younger man. Said person ghosted from the kitchen, making sure not to drop anything, but otherwise oblivious to his surroundings. The blue-skinned man made a mental note to visit the Hyuuga girl later.

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_Why is my body so heavy? What is wrong with me?_ Heavy-lidded eyes opened slowly, promising pain to their owner as soon as the light touched them; however, they were met with nothing but blindness.

Despite the pain in her body, Hinata leapt to her feet and activated her Byakugan. _Where am I?_ She questioned her mind, trying to recall what had led to her placement in this room. She knew that it wasn't hers; her bed was not nearly as comfortable as this one. She had made sure of that.

A door clicked open somewhere to her left and light from the hallway spilled into the room. Temporarily blinded until the door closed once more, she still didn't know where she was.

"Hinata-san, mm?"

She would know that voice anywhere. She felt her legs give out from under her in relief. The bed creaked as her body collapsed into it. "Deidara-san? Where am I?" Her voice was quiet, wobbly, almost frightened sounding. She hated herself for it.

"You're in my room. I expected you to sleep a bit longer than you did, mm. Otherwise, I would have stayed in here with you. I brought you some food," he said; she could hear him walking in her direction. When he got to the bedside table, he stopped, and there was a clinking noise. She guessed that he had laid whatever food he had been holding on it.

A different noise, like wood slipping against wood, _maybe a drawer opening_, reached her ears, and when he began rummaging, she knew she had been right. "How are you feeling?"

Memories of what Deidara had said to her earlier that day suddenly came rushing back to her. "You called me worthless."

A small flicker of light suddenly leapt to life within a small container. The blonde man lifted the candle to his face for a moment until her words registered. Abruptly the candle clattered roughly onto the table in favor of placing the hilt of his palms over his eyes. "I know, un. You wouldn't listen to me any other way, hm," he spoke, lowering his arms from his face, but refusing to meet her eyes. For a small moment, he seemed to struggle with himself, but she knew his better side won when he asked, "Will you be able to forgive me, ?"

It was a long moment before she answered, even though she knew he was tense, _I'd almost say terrified if I didn't know better_.

She thought back to her time in Konoha. That was back when she had been so much weaker than all of her friends. She had been called worthless by her clan more often than her team told her they were proud. Her clan had deemed her as a useless heiress. Hearing the blonde explosives expert call her that had thrown her back in time, back to when she truly was weak.

And it had hurt much more than any of the torture she had put her body through all week.

She closed her eyes, blocking out the light that shown on his downturned face. Her heart, newly shredded from losing Itachi, had nearly felt ripped in half when he had said that. She wasn't sure how much longer she could deal with that kind of emotional pain.

Before she knew it, she had spoken in a voice clogged by tears, "Please stop hurting me," her eyes widened when she heard the words, as did his.

It was then that she noticed the tears sparkling in his eyes. _He won't cry because he doesn't want to hurt me_.

"I was so worried about you. It was like every time I spoke with you, you were falling deeper into despair, changing more into someone I didn't know. I didn't know what else to do to make you listen, yeah," he admitted, as if finally glad that she was speaking. He still wouldn't meet her eyes, though.

"I was trying to get stronger. You're not going to be with me on missions to save me anymore, and neither is Itachi-san. Kisame-san isn't going to risk his life to save mine, so I knew I would have to be as strong as possible. If I died on a mission, you would never forgive me, or Kisame-san, for that matter," she responded.

"It's not necessary for you to do something so drastic, though. Kisame knows that you're not as strong as him, yeah. He knows that you are only a medic, and that you need to be protected, mm. I don't care what he's told you; I know that he was chosen as your partner because he knows how to protect, and can do so _without_ he cost of his life, un," Deidara told her, and it made her pause.

_Have I completely misread this entire situation?_ She wondered. "I was so sure he hated me, though. I let his partner die, and then he got stuck with me as his new one," the fear that she had been sure was tamped down was now rising, just below the surface of her brittle voice.

"He could never hate you, Hinata-san. No one could," he added the last part so quietly that she almost missed it. "Now, you need to eat something. Watch your eyes, yeah; I'm going to put out the candle and turn on the overhead light. Okay, hm?"

She nodded, knowing that the moment her eyes were closed, the fiery glow would disappear from her eyelids and a painful light would penetrate through them instead. Preparing herself, she still gasped when the fluorescents were lit.

It took her several long minutes until she could open her eyes fully because of the sensitive Byakugan irises. "Are you okay, un?" Deidara asked as she blinked away the spots and tears.

She nodded. "What are you so adamant about me eating?" She inquired, glancing at the soup can. She reached out to scan it for a name, but he snatched it away before she could.

"It's chicken noodle. That kind of soup is supposed to have tons of stuff that you need, especially when you're sick, mm. You definitely qualify as sick right now, and don't argue, yeah," he said, interrupting her before she could even begin to speak.

She bowed her neck instead, waiting for the sound of the lid being pulled off the top of the can with the tab. She heard it, and the sloshing of the soup as it was poured into the round, ocean blue porcelain bowl.

The bowl was placed gently in her lap, and she giggled. "It's cold," she said when the laughs subsided slightly.

Deidara frowned and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What's the difference, un?"

The brought on a new bout of quiet, controlled laughter. "It's easier to eat and much better tasting when it's been heated."

The frown never left his face, but he bent down and took the bowl from her. "Do you feel up to walking to the kitchen?" He asked, politely offering his hand to her.

Despite the paleness of her skin, she felt better than she had since before she had left their last hideout. "Sure," she took hold of his hand, allowing him to sweep her out of bed onto the chilly floor of the cave.

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He felt her shiver and knew that he had to do something to help her stay warm. "Where is your cloak, un?" He asked, realizing that it was missing only after seeing her out of the covers.

"I took it off so that I wouldn't mess it up while I was training,"

The artist handed the bowl of room temperature soup to her, then proceeded to shed his cloak. Taking the soup back, he wrapped his already-warm mantle around her shoulders. He forced himself not to shiver with the new coldness of his room, and was proud when he saw Hinata's cheeks glow a light pink. "Let's get your food warmed up, yeah," he reached to grab her hand once more, leading her out of the room, but never dropping her cold hand from his own.

The moment he opened the door to the kitchen, he knew there was something wrong. The Hyuuga woman's hand went limp in his, then suddenly began to pull away. "Hinata-san, what's wrong?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"Iie," she whispered, drawing a ragged breath. "No!" She tried to back away from the room, dropping his hand completely.

Deidara stepped closer to her, blocking her view of the open doorway. He made quiet, whispering noises, trying to comfort and calm her. "What's wrong, Hinata-san, mm?" When she gave him no reply, he took her chin in his hands and forced her to look at him. "Hinata-chan, what is wrong?"

He winced when she forced her chin away from him, only to hear her coughing, struggling to draw breath. His eyes widened when he remembered a conversation he'd had with her; it had been so long ago that he'd nearly forgotten. "You pushed yourself too far, didn't you, hm? Now all the smoke in there is making your condition worse," he deduced.

The fear in her eyes was enough proof. He slammed his fist into the wall behind him, growling. "Hinata-chan-" he broke off, running his hand through his hair in an irrationally scared manner. "Why would you do this to yourself?" He whispered, calming himself with the question. He reached out to her, placing his fingertips on her shoulder.

Her eyes widened when she heard his question. _He sounds_, she paused in her thoughts, scrambling for the word she was looking for,_ broken_, She finally settled. "I had to get stronger," she whispered in return, unable to inhale enough oxygen to do more.

"I don't care, hm! When will you understand that your strength doesn't matter to us? We will protect you no matter what, yeah!" Deidara nearly shouted; he was so fearful that he would lose her. "Kisame!" He shouted, directing the shout into the room behind him now.

A booming reply, even through the smoke, returned. "What?" The yell was slightly irritated, as though the shark-like man didn't want to be disturbed.

"Will you take care of Hinata-chan as best you can? I have to find something," he said, watching as the blue-skinned man appeared at the door almost immediately.

"Of course. I was just finishing my steak. I would be glad to help," he said, and Deidara watched his eyes soften as he beheld the small girl standing within the blonde's shadow. "Come on, Princess," he said.

Her eyes gleamed, curiously pained, probably wondering why Deidara was leaving her so soon. "I'll be back soon. I need to find some sort of healing technique, un," he promised, meeting her eyes resolutely for the first time since she woke up.

She nodded weakly, and Deidara knew that it was getting even more difficult for her to breathe. "Can you take her back to my room for now, Kisame?" He asked the much taller man, being polite because he knew that Kisame would need to care for Hinata for a little while so that Deidara could get a bit of research done.

Kisame looked at him warily, as though the politeness was only a trick, then nodded his head. Rather than walking to the blonde's room, he lifted Hinata gently into his arms, tucking her head into his shoulder as he placed one arm beneath her knees and supported her back with the other.

The explosives expert shook his head, wishing he had the same stature so that he could have saved Hinata the walking trip. He hadn't wanted to find any of her injuries by swinging her around in the same manner, but Kisame could easily hold her like that because of his height and solid body structure.

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"Deidara told me what you've been doing to yourself," Kisame spoke through her haze of pain.

She turned her face away from him. His voice was unreadable, so she couldn't tell what he thought of it.

"You don't have to punish yourself for his death, you know," this sentence caught her off guard, and she squeaked in protest when his grip on her body tightened. "Just because you think I am mad at you for doing the best that you could doesn't mean that you have to try to train yourself to death,"

She shook her head uncomfortably against his chest. "Not death," she murmured.

The Hoshigaki looked down at her, observing her heavily-lidded eyes, and drooping posture. "Go on and go to sleep, Princess. We can talk again when you wake up."

She gave him a small, sincere smile, but there was very little feeling in it. Taking his permission to heart, she fell asleep to the rhythm of his movements. He smiled gently, feeling nothing but brotherly affection for the younger girl.

It was then that he noticed the fresh blood on the cloak that did not smell like her. _Deidara's cloak? Why is it bloody?_

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"Leader-sama?" He spoke, announcing his presence at the door of that man's room.

"What?" The reply sounded harsher than it was, and the door swung inward to reveal the red haired shinobi.

"Do you know how to heal tissue around the heart that is already scarred over?" Deidara asked, hoping against all hope that he would.

"I do not. However, I know of Hinata's plight, as did Itachi. He was researching how to heal her before he was murdered," Pein turned to the bookshelf located directly to the right of the door and himself, slipping a book delicately from the shelf and handing it across the threshold to the bomb specialist.

"What is this?" He asked, glancing over the title less book in his hands.

"It's Itachi's research journal. He kept all the information he discovered about healing Hinata's literal heart written in that little book. See what you can make of it because I haven't been able to do a thing," with that said, Pein shut the door in his face.

Deidara heard muttering on the other side and figured that he'd better leave before Leader-sama came back out to yell at him. Besides, he needed to get back to Hinata to make sure she was okay.

He walked back to his room slowly, opening the journal and attempting to read through it. Itachi was more of a genius than Deidara had ever given him the credit of being. _I'm following this better than I thought I would, but these techniques are some that I would never have imagined in my life. How in the world did he figure these out?_ He wondered to himself. Somewhere far back in his subconscious, he wished that the Uchiha was still alive to work through the rest of the jutsu with him so that they could save Hinata's life permanently.

He shook his head as the strand of thought passed into his conscious thoughts, then winced and knocked on the door to his room. He slid it open with a soft _click_ to observe as Kisame brushed a strand of hair out of her face as he tucked her in.

"She fell asleep as I carried her here," he spoke, addressing the owner of the room, the blood on her cloak momentarily slipping his mind.

"I see, un," Deidara replied absently, still trying to decipher the journal. It hit him unexpectedly that Kisame might know something about it. "What do you know about the notebook Itachi was keeping? He was trying to completely heal Hinata's heart. Literally," the bomber added upon getting a strange look from the blue man.

"I know that he worked on it very often, but I don't know specifics." Kisame looked thoughtful for a moment. "I know his fighting style, and his creative style for jutsus, so I may be able to help you a little," he finished, gesturing for Deidara to bring the book over.

The two poured over the small booklet for the next two hours while Hinata slept, comparing understandings and side notes as they read.

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The raven haired man wasn't even out of breath as he approached Konoha. His journey from Otogakure had not been pleasant, but neither had it been terrible. He had met up with a band of thieves on the way, so he had a small bit of gold on him.

He had travelled far, trying to gather information on the murderer of his brother and the thief of his goal: the female Konoha ANBU, Gazelle, he'd learned.

He strolled up to the village, wondering how he would be able to get in without causing too much of a fuss. Eventually, he decided to wait for nightfall, then sneak past the guards and patrolmen and into Hokage Tower.

He smirked. _This is going to be fun. I cannot wait until I get to see the look on her face when she realizes that she is going to die because she killed Itachi_.

Backing away from the high walls of the village, Sasuke leapt into the forest surrounding Konoha. He made sure to sit in a place where he would be completely out of sight of everyone, but could still watch what was going on below him.

_And now, to wait for sunset_. Sasuke sighed, hoping that the time would pass quickly, but knowing that he would be patient for it either way.

**(A/N: Well, I think that just about sums up this chapter of Mysterious Captivation. (: I hope you liked it this time! I appreciate reviews very much; they let me know what I'm doing right/wrong/perfect/terribly [and it's fun to get the email telling me that someone reviewed. I love hearing what you all have to say about my writing and how to make it better]. So anyway. I'm sorry that this chapter was an hour late, but I stayed up extra late to make sure it was only an hour instead of a day. I…have school tomorrow… Well, hello there, inside of my eyelids. You're looking beautiful tonight. Too bad I'll only get to see you for five hours or so. Maybe six if I get lucky. XD Oh dear. I feel the incredible need to go to sleep now because I do believe I'm talking to myself. It is one in the morning, and I dearly hope you enjoyed this chapter. Despite the fact that it was an hour too late to make it on Sunday. XD It's up, it's Monday, but I'll post the next on Sunday. I'm going to stay on schedule!)**


	20. The Fear Returns

**(A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I love each and every one of you who have supported me through this venture, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll keep it short tonight and tell you that I sincerely hope you all had a grand day!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 20

Her eyes blinking painfully at the bright room, she wondered why she was back in bed. The last thing she remembered was going to the kitchen with Deidara to heat up her food. She frowned as her stomach growled, then froze when she heard a slight chuckle from the previously unnoticed blonde.

Now that she could see the room, she realized that it was much larger than the one in which he had previously presided. A large, official-looking desk sat against the far wall of the room with two chairs lounging around it. One was occupied by a chuckling Deidara, while the other, shifted to the furthest corner from him, was taken up by Kisame.

The comforter under which she had been sleeping was an inverted Akatsuki cloak: the background was crimson colored with the typical clouds sewn in black thread. The sheets underneath were a deep black, and it caused her ivory skin look far more pale than it should have.

Florescent lights silently brightened the room, and she noticed that his sculptures had yet to be placed around the room. She noticed the lack of shelves, and the wood lining the far wall, wondering idly whether he was going to build some himself. Several open boxes lined the walls to her left, evidence that he had done nothing to unpack in the week it had been since they had arrived.

"Are you ready to see if you can eat something, un?" Deidara asked, gesturing at the bowl of soup that was sitting on the stand by her head.

She nodded her head. _Why does my throat hurt?_ "What happened?" She asked, surprised when her voice was rough and hoarse.

"We went to get your food, but there was a lot of smoke, and you started coughing up blood," Hinata winced when Kisame turned sharply to look at her after that statement, "and I found out that you had been pushing yourself far too harshly, hm."

"This is what brought up Itachi-san's research, then," Kisame stated, turning to Deidara after giving the young woman a look that promised a brutal speech later. His glare was nothing near the brotherly way he had look at her earlier. It was one of pure animosity.

"Hai. I want to help her heal so that she can fully participate in any and all necessary missions," Deidara answered, standing and stretching. "I'll be back shortly with your soup, Hinata-san."

"Thank you very much Deidara-san," she responded with a quiet smile. Her eyes followed him as he left, but soon returned to Kisame when he coughed slightly.

"When were you going to tell me that this issue with your heart causes you to cough up blood when you strain yourself?" He demanded.

"I didn't think it was relevant. I know my own limits, and I've honestly never allowed myself to try to stretch them before," she demurred, blushing at her own foolishness. "I had been forbidden from telling anyone about my condition by my father, and I guess I pushed it to the back of my mind, so it never occurred to me to tell you. Deidara-san found out by accident, as did Itachi-san."

"And I, your partner, am not worthy enough to share that information? When, should your limit be reached during battle, both of us would pay the price? What would you do if, during battle, you reached your breaking point, and could fight no longer? Would you shout for me to help? Or would you die silently, and allow the possibility for me to be overwhelmed? You should have thought that through a bit more!"

His voice steadily rose, shouting by then end of the tirade, but still had an undertone of worry that Hinata would have considered frantic had this man not been an S-class missing nin. He bared his teeth, growling deep within his chest, as though reminding her of that fact.

She flinched away from his newly shark-like composure. "F-forgive me, K-Kisame-san. I-I wasn't th-thinking and I-I endangered e-everyone i-in the process. I-I'm s-sorry!" She apologized, falling back into her stuttering as easily as she had when she had first arrived and responsibility of her had been shifted to Itachi.

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Hearing the sound of her stutters seemed to bring him back from his righteous fury. He blinked once, and it was like he was watching her cower. Then he turned back to the Itachi's research. "Is that why you couldn't save him?" He asked coolly, knowing that it was a low blow, but needing to impress upon her just how serious her oversight could have become.

He heard her gasp, but cold-heartedly pressed forward. "Is it?" He demanded, louder this time.

"N-No! I-It all just happened so f-fast, and I-I," he brought his eyes back to her form and listened as her sentence broke off and she stopped speaking.

It sounded like she was struggling to breathe, and for a moment, he thought she was having a panic attack, but she closed her eyes and her breathing evened out.

"I-I would rather have d-died in h-his place," she admitted in a watery, whisper-thin voice.

"Is that so, hm?" Kisame turned to look at the blonde on the threshold. He wasn't surprised to see the blonde standing there, but the young Hyuuga woman was.

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"I-" was all she managed to get out before he quietly approached her form and placed his index finger over her mouth in a gesture to be silent.

"Just stop. I understand completely that you loved him, so there's no reason for you to make excuses, un. I knew you weren't telling me the truth when you told me you were never in love with him, yeah," he spoke, sitting the bowl of steaming, delicious smelling food on the nightstand, and then backed away with guarded eyes.

"I promise, I was never in love with him, Deidara-san. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't the kind of love you think it was," a small tear rolled down her cheek. "I just feel so lost all the time, and he was always the one who gave me direction in training. I don't know what to do," the tears that had been sparkling in her eyes began to drip down her cheeks. "I feel so useless and it seems like all I do is cry! The least I could have done was die and leave a capable ninja in my place, rather than have an S-class ninja die and leave a worthless one in his place!"

He knew, then, that Hinata could tell that what she said had hurt him, whether he put up his emotional mask or not. The explosions expert wondered why he didn't find that more worrying.

Hearing her explanation, he approached her once more and sat on his bed beside her. "He left a perfectly capable ninja behind. He obviously believed in your abilities, or he would not have given you even a fraction of the attention that he did, yeah. You just tried to undertake a task much too big for one person without asking for any help, hm," the blonde comforted. "I don't think you're worthless, either," he ended with a warm, breathy whisper, leaning toward her ear to hide the statement from Kisame. _I may love her, but I'm not willing for Kisame to know and exploit that yet._

He watched as the blush daintily bled into her cheeks, chuckling breathily as he sat up straight again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kisame lean back against the wall, as though he hadn't been trying to hear what was being said.

"Well, this is all fun and dandy," the blue skinned man growled, "but I was in the middle of a conversation, and you interrupted it, Deidara."

"It didn't sound like a 'conversation' to me, un!" He exclaimed, making air quotes around the offending word, despite the knowledge that he looked ridiculous. "It sounded more like you were verbally and emotionally abusing her," Deidara's normally smiling façade had turned stony, and the previous warmth in his voice had turned to icy anger.

"What would you know about it, Deidara-san? She was endangering the organization and my life by not telling me. You have no right to defend her; she told me that she loved Itachi. And even if she did love you, what do you know about love? It's not like you had any growing up. Your parents were dead before you were even old enough for the academy. Your foster parents didn't love you because you were a ninja kid, and they only wanted civilians. You hated all of your classmates, and your siblings.

"Even as an adult, every girl you've ever wanted has been frightened away by your hands and their ability to make whatever they touch blow up! What in the world would you know about love?" Kisame ranted, picking apart the blonde's past, mocking him for his mistakes, and exposing the secret that Deidara had hidden from the woman he loved.

He felt the gasp behind him more than he heard it; his world shifted to a frightening new place. When Deidara spoke, it was with a low, seemingly amiable tone. "That was low, Kisame. Even you know that, yeah. Besides, you're the one who should be worried about their past. You lived in Kirigakure, where you killed every single one of your classmates, too, mm.

"All you wanted was power. I, on the other hand, wanted freedom. Where were your parents, hm? And which one of the girls you wanted stuck around after finding out that your sword eats people? How many children did you murder to be who you are today, un?" He heard a small whimper from the girl behind him.

"I never bothered to hide anything from anyone, except the ability of my hands to infuse whatever they ingest with my chakra, and then blow that thing up. That was the only thing I ever hid from you, Hinata-san, yeah. You wouldn't have even talked to me if you had known. Now, though, I know I can trust you. I haven't even thought of hurting you, so why would I want to kill you, un?" He turned back to the tear-stricken face of the young woman, entreating her to believe him, to forgive him.

Kisame laughed bitterly, a guttural, grating noise that was unpleasant to their ears. "She would never trust us. We're a group of S-class murderers with no values, save what will help us survive another day,"

Deidara could feel Hinata's trembling from his sitting position. He stood, thinking to comfort her, but she unintentionally flinched. _It's like we've taken her back to her first week in Akatsuki._ Deidara thought, mourning the reversion.

"Wh-Why? Wh-Where is a-all this coming from? What s-suddenly br-brought out all of th-this animosity?" She buried her head in her lap, curling into herself. Her ending sentence, meant to be heard only by herself, instantly caused Deidara's anger at Kisame to drain away, filling him with a protective emotion the likes of which he'd never felt before. "I want to go home, I'm so frightened," It was muffled, but he caught what she said.

He allowed himself to collapse on the bed, carefully avoiding her body, and felt her shudder. "Kisame-san, what were you yelling at her about?" He asked, trying to get to the root of what had occurred while he went to get Hinata's food.

"I have nothing to explain to you," he sneered spitefully.

"Just stop, hm. I want to sort this out!" The explosives artist looked back at the taller man. He was leaned against the far wall in a deceptively relaxed pose, with his muscles relaxed and his eyes closed. "Open your eyes and look what we've done."

He waited for the other man to obey, then frowned at the lack of visible concern. He did, however, hold some hope when he saw the Hoshigake's muscles contract slightly, as though he were trying to keep himself from walking over to comfort the terrified, crying ex-Hyuuga heiress.

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Kisame sighed. "She needs to know how dangerous it is to hide ailments from her partner. I knew everything about Itachi's sicknesses, and he of mine, no matter that they would have been perceived as weaknesses. Being partners is about looking past that, and Hinata needed to quit being a spoiled Hyuuga and learn to live in the real ninja world.

"She has a breaking point, a place where she can't fight anymore or she'll die. Itachi was going blind. He wanted his brother to kill him, so that he could die with honor and pride because he knew there was no one else out there who both could and would kill him before he went blind. When he met Hinata, he realized that he could die protecting, instead of trying to kill.

"I am rarely sick, but there are things I can't do when I'm unhealthy, too. I will tell you those when the time comes that you feel you can trust me. Until then, you have no need to know them,"

"That's the mentality that got us into this mess, un. Tell her the moment you both leave for your mission tomorrow. But for now, Hinata needs to eat, and you both need sleep, hm. It's nearly two in the morning, and you've got to leave in five hours," Deidara admonished hesitantly, seeming surprised when Kisame nodded.

"Alright, Blondie. We're not done with our discussion, but Hinata doesn't have to hear any more of it," he said, glancing at the cowering young woman. "Good night, Princess. I'll see you tomorrow for our mission,"

He felt two pairs of eyes on him as he left the room, stopping by the desk to pick up Itachi's book. He opened it to a page that had been bookmarked, and began studying it with more fervor now that he knew why it was so important that they help her.

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Hesitantly, she peeked out from under the bundle of covers with which she had surrounded herself to watch as Kisame's back retreated from view. She felt Deidara move to lay by her side and speak before she heard the intake of breath. "I'm sorry, Hinata-san. I never should have lost my grip like that, mm." She looked toward him, but he refused to meet her eyes.

Her breath hitched. She wanted to say something, to make him look at her, to see his expression, but she was scared. She was too frightened that he would be angry with her, try to kill her, or bring up her painful past the way he had brought up Kisame's. She did, however, uncurl her body and stretch out in a similar position as Deidara's.

"Please don't be scared, Hinata-san. I can deal with anger. I can deal with hatred. I can even deal with tears. But please, _please_, don't be scared of me," his eyes still refused to look at her, but she could see his expression now.

It broke her heart to see him like that. He loved her; she knew that. He had told her before. She had never _ever_ seen a murderer look like that though. He seemed fragile and broken, but she knew he was far stronger than she could ever hope to be.

"I-I am scared," she admitted, then covered her mouth in shock. _That wasn't what I was planning to say at all!_ "I'm so sorry. I-I'm just so lost. I don't know what to study next without Itachi-san's guidance,"

"Could I try to help you, hm? I've been with Akatsuki longer than you, and I know the ways that we get injured most often. Would you mind that, un?" He asked, reaching to the table to get her food. He helped her sit so that she could eat, and put a pillow in her lap as a table.

She gratefully looked up, and their eyes finally met. "I would like that," she smiled, though her blood-shot eyes burned and her head hurt.

Her stomach growled, and she gave an embarrassed chuckle. He did the same, though his was unashamed and much more confident. "Go on and eat, yeah. I'll just lie here and stop talking. When you're done, just set it on the table and curl up to sleep."

She shook her head, still unwilling to put her complete faith in him again, but willing to do as he said. She knew he wouldn't kill her now that she was an official part of Akatsuki, but she had seen the way he fought with Tobi, and couldn't be too careful.

She glanced to the side. His face was turned toward the ceiling, and his blue-grey irises were hidden by pale skin and blonde hair. His mouth was up-turned softly, and his arms were resting behind his head.

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When he no longer heard the clink of the spoon, he smiled slightly and felt her eyes rest on him. "You should eat, Hinata-san, hm. You have an early start tomorrow, un,"

He could practically _feel_ the heat of her blush. His smile widened. "Finish eating," he ordered.

He felt the bed shake with her sudden nod and heard the clink of the eating utensil against the porcelain bowl again.

When it stopped for the second time, it was shortly followed by the louder _thump _of the bowl against the wooden nightstand. He opened his eyes, stood, and strode to the light switch.

Flipping the switch down, the non-existent hum of the electric lights stopped, and the only light in the room came from the small candle Hinata had had the foresight to light. "Nice thinking, Hinata-san," he smiled, though he knew she couldn't see it. "Thanks."

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Her nod of response brought her hair precariously close to the candle, but she kept a tight control on her movements and knew it wouldn't burn. "Do you have an alarm, Deidara-san?" She asked, hesitant to ask for anything, but knowing she would need to be awoken for her mission.

"Don't worry about it, yeah. I don't, but I'll make sure you're up, un," he promised.

"O-Okay. I trust that you won't let me oversleep," she said, purposefully throwing the word trust into the phrase.

She was rewarded with an S-class ninja's beaming grin, and it wasn't as frightening as she thought it would have been. _It is quite charming, actually._

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"I won't let you down," he said, still smiling as he brought the covers over the both of them and rolled to face away from her _so she feels more comfortable_.

He felt her shift to adjust to his position, and was surprised when he felt her hand brush against his back. He smiled softly, then allowed himself to relax. He was going to be up early, and they all needed sleep.

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"Have you heard the rumors, Shino?" Kiba asked as he and his teammate waltzed into Ichiraku's ramen stand. "The villagers have been saying that Uchiha Sasuke was sighted in the woods off the main road into Konoha earlier this evening,"

Naruto immediately jumped up from his seat at the bar. "What did you say?"

"Crap," Kiba oh, so elegantly said.

"Go see Tsunade-sama before you go anywhere else," Shino ordered tonelessly.

"Sasuke's back!" Naruto left the restaurant with a shout and a large grin, scaring a man nearby who had been about to enter the ramen stand.

**(A/N: Hi again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Merry Christmas, and I hope you all had a wonderful day. Enjoy your gifts, and remember the true meaning of Christmas as you play with/eat/use whatever it is that you were given. If you don't celebrate Christmas, I still hope you had a great day! I love how faithful all of you are to my works, and I appreciate each and every person who reads, clicks on, or even so much as considers reading my works and author's notes, and especially those that review!**


	21. The Mission

**(A/N: Okay, so I have an excuse for my long absence! I'll explain at the end of the chapter though, so that you can go ahead and read. 3 I really hope you enjoy this chapter, and I apologize greatly for its lateness. The next update will be three weeks from January 29, 2012, not keeping with my previously set schedule.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 21

His eyes opened slowly, but he was immediately awake. He had obviously turned during his sleep, though he couldn't remember doing so. The first thing he saw was the dark silhouette of the midnight haired woman beside him. "Hinata-san, wake up. You need to start getting ready for your mission with Kisame," the blonde added, completely dropping all suffix so as not to offend the former Hyuuga or show any unnecessary respect.

He sat up, reaching into his drawer to lift a candle and match from the bedside table. Lighting it

She shivered, slowly rising from her dreams. Her breathing did not change; he was proud to have been the one from whom she had learned to control it. He watched her eyes blink blearily open. He knew her vision cleared the moment she blushed and scooted away from him; she had shifted closer in the middle of the night, scooting closer to him in her sleep.

"I'm awake, Deidara-san," she shyly told him. He nodded, sending the comforter to the foot of the bed and rising.

She followed, frowning. "I have yet to even begin to pack," she glanced worriedly about the room, and he could see the gears turning in her head as she thought about what she would have to do.

"That's okay, yeah. I already gathered your weapons and most of your supplies from your room. You only need to pack clothes and other items that you want, hm," he said with a small smile. "Kisame told me that you had a mission earlier yesterday, and I wanted to help you as much as I could, mm,"

Hinata smiled at him, but still seemed uncertain. She turned her back, seeming wary, grasping the kunai pouch he had removed from her thigh when she had collapsed in the training room. She wrapped the leather band around her once more, buckling it comfortably, the stood to face him again. He heard her quiet squeak when she found his eyes on her still.

"Hinata-san, I never meant for you to see that side of me. We are S-class murderers, and many of us are sadistic, un. I know that scares you, so I wanted to keep you away from all of that. That's why your room is across the hall from mine: so you wouldn't have to deal with all of them, hm. I asked for it, yeah." He watched the young woman's eyes widen in surprise, then soften.

"Thank you, Deidara-san. It means a lot that you think so highly of me, but trust is easily broken, and last night, I truly feared for my life for the first time in months. I wish I could say that it will be easy for me to forget, but I will not give you false hopes," she conveyed quietly; she knew her words would hurt him, but she also knew they had to be said. Her eyes refused to meet his, seeming to prefer the shadows beneath her hair.

He allowed the pain in his own gaze to be palpable in the air, but the silence continued. "Go get ready for your mission, Hinata-san. I wish you safety and strength, mm."

It was the clearest dismissal he had ever given, and he could see the brief surprise light her expression, bringing her eyes to his for several short moments. Quickly enough, though, her eyes dimmed again and met the floor. She nodded, walking away without another glance, although she did move very hesitantly as she passed him.

It was almost as though she was frightened that he would reach out and slap her.

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She left the room as cautiously as she could without it being too obvious. She didn't want to offend him, and she knew that he wouldn't purposefully hurt her, but his anger the night before had shown her something.

He didn't have control over himself when he was angry; it was like he was a completely different person. He was cruel, rude, and paid no mind as he exposed others' secrets.

Then again, so had Kisame. She still wasn't sure exactly what to think of him.

Deidara had told her that he thought of her as something of a sister, but his yelling at her had made her doubt that. Why did the Akatsuki have to be so cruel?

_Are they really as kind as I have seen them? I know that, to outsiders, they are cruel and merciless, but I also know that they are amazing actors. Have they simply been hiding their harshness around me until I am more comfortable with murder and blood, or until I am as sadistic and disillusioned as they?_ Her brows furrowed as the thoughts crossed her mind.

Hinata's fleet-footed pace took her silently across the hall. Putting her palm to the handle of her door, she quickly leapt backward with a kunai in hand.

Her Byakugan activated automatically, sending chakra to her eyes and veins bulging across her temples. Recognizing the chakra, she relaxed, but did not deactivate her bloodline or lower her kunai. "What?" She questioned, her voice rough and harsh, flooding her with surprise that she did not allow to show.

A white haired man stepped from the shadows that took residence in the corner at the end of the hall. He stepped forward, only a few paces, to stand between her and the door to her room. "Hm. I would have expected you to be a bit more compliant with your superiors, Hinata-chan," the man purred, his mocking, violet eyes flashing. "Especially after what happened when you freaking kept your health issue from Kisame, you dolt. I heard him yelling at you all the way across the freaking lair!" His voice hardened with his anger, causing the poor Hyuuga to shrink into herself slightly. Still, she stood proudly, staring up at him.

"H-Hidan-san, what grievances do y-you wish to address with m-me?" She questioned, proud of the fact that her voice had not wavered as much as it had when she had been faced with Kisame, and that her stutter had not, in fact, returned with a vengeance. It was only a minor setback now.

"'What grievances', you have the freaking nerve to ask me? Kisame woke me up at one in the morning, yelling at you from across the hideout, and you ask me why I'm yelling at you!" He leaned down to her level, almost half of a foot, and glared into her bulging eyes. "Deactivate those this instant, and put your little toy away. It's not like they'll do you any good if I try to hurt you."

Shakily, she lowered her sharpened knife from chest level to drop it back in her pouch. She took one glance toward Deidara's room through her skull, then deactivated her bloodline limit. She knew Hidan kept his voice down to avoid unwanted attention. Her mind instantly whirred with plans and numbers, calculating the time it would take the blonde to enter the hallway should she call, and the time it would take Hidan to kill her before Deidara could.

Warily, her stance relaxed. "I promise that it will not happen again, Hidan-san. I have already been punished for my secrecy, as have I been frightened by both my partner Deidara-san," visibly tensing, she bowed her head to the violet eyed man, waiting for his acknowledgement.

She heard him grunt something, and was unprepared when she was slammed against the wall. His hand was at her throat, holding tightly and keeping her quiet. "I don't expect you to understand, newbie, but neither do I expect you to be completely ignorant! So your lover is gone; deal with it!" He hissed, shoving himself into her personal space. "He's not here to protect you anymore, so I suggest you learn some manners before I teach them to you," he ordered, pressing his face even closer, causing Hinata to wheeze and shift uncomfortably.

Her mouth moved, and he allowed her to drop to the floor. She knelt there, gasping, as she heard his footsteps echo as he walked down the stone corridor. They were unhurried, relaxed, but from her observations, the immortal was anything but those things.

His chakra had been coiled tightly, and his facial muscles tense. She wondered why he was so worked up over the interruption in his sleep.

Wordlessly, she thought about calling down the hall about her mission, but dismissed it. It would only cause more enmity than it would solve to get Leader-sama involved.

She stood, using the wall to her left to steady herself. This time reaching her door, turning the handle, and entering her room, she quickly made her way over to her mirror.

Bruising on her neck was already more apparent than she had thought it would be, and she shifted uncomfortably while she attempted to heal it. The healing process made her neck crawl, but she refrained from scratching it because it would cause the newly healed blood vessels to break once more.

For several moments, the only thing she could hear was her ragged breathing. The moment she was sure her neck was healed to her full capabilities, she flew about her room, gathering all the supplies she felt she would need for her mission.

All of those, she threw in a pile on her bed, then hesitantly returned to the explosives artist's bedroom door. She knocked, then waited for his answer.

It opened, revealing the blonde in only a pair of loose fitting black pants. She squeaked, blushing and averting her eyes. "Yes?" He asked, his deep voice sounding far too comforting for the midnight haired girl's liking.

"I need to get my pack. Where did you put it, Deidara-san?" She asked, attempting to keep her voice as whisper soft as possible to avoid the blonde detecting a difference in her vocal chords' sound.

She still refused to meet his eyes, but she heard the defeat in his tone when he said, "Okay, give me a minute to grab it for you."

"Thank you."

She didn't hear his footsteps as his presence faded, then returned several minutes later. "Here it is, hm. And you can look now; I'm wearing a shirt," he told her, and she could hear the smirk in his voice.

She met his eyes over the exchange of her earthy-brown leather knapsack, which she promptly took and slipped over her shoulders. He held her eyes captive for several more moments, then flinched when he made the sudden motion to reach out.

She saw as he allowed pain to ephemerally flick through his expression. He slowed his movement so that she could watch him closely as he reached toward her. She felt his arms wrap around her waist, drawing her closer to him.

Lifting her arms to encircle his neck and rest on his shoulders and standing on her tip-toes, she lightly hugged him in return.

Before she was allowed to step away, he whispered breathily, "I'll miss you, Hinata-san. Be careful, and stay with Kisame, yeah. He may be angry with you, but he'll still protect you, un," in her ear.

When he stepped away, she whispered her goodbye, then returned to her room to place the rest of her necessities in her bag.

Shortly after she had finished, the blue-skinned man knocked on her door. "It's time to leave, Princess," he said, giving her a sharky grin.

She gave him a hesitant smile in return, but it didn't reach her pearly eyes. "I am ready to leave whenever you are," she let him know, making sure to keep her voice quiet still.

"Then let's go. I want to get out of Kaminari no Kuni before noon," Kisame said, leading the way out of the hideout and into the cold, colorful sunrise.

For several short moments, Hinata stared up into the sky, watching the colors shift, rise, change, and fall, then turned her attention to her partner. The wind blew, causing her to shiver as it dragged her hair away from her neck, making it flutter in the wind. Her cheeks flushed, for once from the cold air rather than embarrassment or shyness.

"What are we to do?" The ex-Hyuuga heiress questioned hesitantly as their journey began, her voice cracking. She hoped that he would think it was fear of him, or her first mission as Akatsuki, or something of the sort.

The Hoshigaki stepped into the forest, watching as she hurried to catch up, then both ninja took to the trees, vaulting themselves from the mostly bare branches without any hint of exhaustion.

It was a mere week until the winter solstice, and from there, it was only six days until she turned nineteen. _How quaint. I almost forgot my own birthday in the panic and pain of recent events. It's hard to believe that it's been more than a week since Itachi-san died._ At that, she immediately dragged her thoughts away from the past to focus on what Kisame was saying.

He appeared not to have noticed her cracking voice or drifting thoughts at all. "We are to find the port city of Omeishu in Hi no Kuni and find a way to kill the richest shipping giant in business. He's been cheating the Akatsuki out of goods for several months now, and we need to eliminate him from the picture."

Hinata nodded understandingly; it was something her own village had ordered done several times, though with a much less extreme punishment to the shipper. "However," she returned her attention to him as she realized that there was more, "we need to make it look like he died of a heart defect. That is where you come in, Princess. Leader-sama wants you to cause his heart to explode, and then rid all evidence of your chakra from his system. He knew you had studied that with Itachi, and thought that this method of death would be perfect for the slime."

This time Hinata frowned. Her eyes were shadowed with guilt at her partner's casual mention of Itachi, and the bruises under her eyes seemed darker than ever. They were testaments of her lack of sleep, overexertion, and panic from earlier. For a moment, she wondered if she should tell Kisame of Hidan's threats from earlier, but decided to shove them from her mind until after the mission was over.

"Okay." She mentally prepared herself for the mission, the same way she always had when sent on assassination missions for Konoha. Only now, she could kill however and whomever she wanted without consequence, save from Leader-sama. While that thought would have frightened her before, it now caused her to smile. It was a show of how much she had changed, how much power she had gained, how much more confident she was in herself and her abilities.

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When he saw her smile, Kisame wasn't sure whether he should question her. He knew that it was a direct result of what he had said, but he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Every instinct he possessed said to question her, but his recent interrogation of her hadn't gone as well as it could have because he had let his temper get away from him, and he didn't want a repeat of that if he could help it.

With a small shrug and a careful note of what he'd said to her and when the smile had begun to show, he let it go to address after the mission had been completed.

He glanced off to the side, getting a look at her determined, wary profile. He sighed, wondering why he had ever yelled at her in the first place. He knew she was uncomfortable in his presence now, and there was nothing he could do to change that fact.

Several hours later, Kisame spoke again. "It will rain soon. With the weather as cold as it is right now, it may either be frozen rain, or snow. Either way, we'll need to drop to the ground and get somewhere safe from the elements, or we'll risk frostbite."

He watched the younger girl nod, then activate her Byakugan. "There's a rather large tree up ahead with cavernous roots and a split trunk that meets around three feet off the ground. We may be able to rest there until the storm is over. If nothing else, we can always pile dirt or mud into the cracks between the roots," she explained, her bloodline allowing her to see what he could not.

"Thanks, Princess. Let's go. We can also eat something, and you can rest until the storm's over,"

She smiled a small, genuine smile, deactivating her inherited trait. "That sounds very nice. Thank you."

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He smirked. The idiot Uzumaki didn't even notice him. He had run right past his best friend, and didn't even recognize him! The Uchiha had changed even without the transformation, but he wanted to be positive that no one would recognize him.

_If Naruto didn't know it was me, then this guise will be perfect to walk about the village._ Sasuke thought, smirking to himself.

He lifted back the flap of the ramen stand, walking under its shelter as rain clouds began to gather. "Hello, sir, what can I get you?" A booming voice called to him from behind the counter.

"I just want a small bowl of miso soup, please," he ordered with a polite, masked tone.

"Coming right up!" _Teuchi_, he thought as he remembered the man's name, shouted.

"Who was that blonde kid who nearly ran me over on the way in?" He asked, making small talk in a way that Uchiha Sasuke would never have done had he looked like himself. _I have to make sure no one will connect me with my name, after all._ He frowned in his mind.

"Naruto? Oh, he's harmless really. I do apologize that he almost knocked you down out there. He's one of the regulars; actually, he's my most frequent customer.

"Ah. It's fine, he just surprised me is all," Sasuke responded, accepting his ramen and breaking his chopsticks with a quickly muttered "Itadakimasu,"

**(A/N: HAH! It's finally complete! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this chapter written and posted. I had just started the chapter when my computer died, and when I went to plug it in, I found that the charger wouldn't work. It didn't matter what I tried, I couldn't charge my laptop. My computer has EVERYTHING on it, including my only copy of this story. Which, in retrospect, is rather dumb of me, but what's past is past, I suppose. I am incredibly sorry about this inconvenience, but now I have a new charger, and I can type again! So, here is the latest installment of Mysterious Captivation! (I'm sorry it's short, but I didn't want to make you wait even longer, for the whole thing.) I've also been swamped with homework, and with track season coming up quickly, I'll have even less time for this. But that's okay. I enjoy writing, and slacking, and I do what I enjoy when I slack, so when I need a break, I'll come write a bit for this! (; haha. Please review if you don't mind too much! It would make me much happier (not that I'm not content with it all right now) and it's so nice to hear from all of you about your opinions and thoughts about this.)**


	22. The Alias

**(AN: So. Yesterday I fell UP two completely different flights of stairs. The first time, I bruised my left shin. So, thinking I'd be smart, I tried to run up a wooden set of stairs with a handful of candy wearing only socks (can you sense the sarcasm? I obviously wasn't thinking at all!) and slipped, bruising my right shin and scattering my candy all over the place. ): I also hit my upper arm, but that doesn't hurt as much. I have a lump on both of my shins (which just so happen to enjoy running into things). Oh well. At least tomorrow is President's day and I don't have to go to school. (: That's an upside to every day. Haha I'm gonna let you go on and read now, rather than continuing to complain about how I use my shins for everything and didn't realize it until I bruised them both. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 22

He kept glancing down at his partner. She had lain on the blanket which she'd packed with far too little protest. She was either exhausted, which he didn't doubt too much after her lack of sleep during the past week, or she was more frightened of him than he had thought. It could have been a combination of both, but he was unwilling to admit to himself that he had frightened his partner as badly as that.

She wasn't asleep. He knew that for certain. She didn't look relaxed in the slightest, and her breathing had yet to deepen. A frown marred her lips, and her eyebrows were drawn in a worried expression.

He sighed quietly, turning back to his work. He bent down, grabbing another branch from the pile they had gathered earlier. Using his height to his advantage, he draped it over the large roots of the tree Hinata had found earlier. The work was menial, but he welcomed the chance mindlessly work.

He was no longer sure of the time, though if he had to guess, it was getting close to sunset. The clouds overhead were shifting with the rapidly blowing wind, blocking most of the sun's rays from reaching them.

It wasn't raining, and it wasn't completely dark yet, so he figured he had a little bit longer to work. The storm was approaching quickly, though, and he was certain that the temperature was below freezing. The chill of the air as the wind blew through the roots was dangerous, especially without the comfort of the fire they dared not make. The elements would have blown the embers away and started a forest fire, and because they were under a tree, it would be very difficult to keep those embers contained. With the storm coming, they would also have been unable to ventilate the smoke from under their crude hut.

Even once Kisame finished covering the gaps in the roots, it would only get slightly warmer. It would still be close to freezing, no matter what they did. The lack of wind would be appreciated, but the air would not warm overly much.

The moment he realized that Hinata's breathing had slowed drastically, he looked over to her. His lips pressed tightly together when he saw the pale skin of her shoulders and noticed the shivers racking her body.

The Hoshigaki made quick work of the rest of the cover, then crossed to his bag to take out his extra blanket. He knew it wasn't what she was used to, but it would have to do.

The rough but warm, oceanic blue fabric of the wool blanket stretched the full length of his body, so he knew that it would help warm his partner.

He draped it over her, pulling her own blanket to her chin also, and returned to his pack. Her breathing faltered for a moment, and he wondered if it was because he had added sudden warmth or it was the heaviness of the fabric. Either way, he was glad she would be much warmer.

He wasn't going to be able to sleep because he had to keep watch, but he would need to stay warm, so he took a blanket for himself from his bag, and zipped it back up. Crossing to the spot closest to the trunk of the tree, he sat on the dusty, dead grass, and leaned against one of the strong, exposed roots. He allowed his eyes to close, concentrating on his surroundings, and was careful not to allow his drowsiness to interfere with his guard duty.

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_It's so cold._ She thought, shivering. Once more, she felt Kisame's eyes drift toward her. _He knows I'm awake, so why is he staring?_ She wondered almost as often as he stared.

Shivering, she finally forced herself to relax and breathe deeply in an effort to make him think she was asleep and hopefully stop staring. She let her frowning mouth drift upward into an ambivalent expression, and forced the wrinkles caused by her furrowed eyebrows to ease away. She shifted her arm, and nearly growled when a freezing gust of wind brushed past her newly exposed shoulder.

She shivered again, hoping he still thought she was sleeping and that it didn't ruin her plan.

She heard his breathing falter for a time so brief she thought she may have imagined it, and then heard him pick up the pace to enclose their shelter.

After an indefinite amount of time, she heard him unzipping his knapsack, followed by the sound of fabric brushing against fabric.

She shivered again, feeling goose bumps rise on her arms as her body tried to hold in its warmth, despite the futility.

She nearly jumped and opened her eyes when she felt him approach and drop his blanket over her. As it was, her breathing hitched. Stunning her further, she felt his huge hand pick up the blankets and draw them up to her chin.

When she felt him leave her side, she allowed the ambivalent set of her mouth to rise into a small smile. She guessed he had been worried about her, but wasn't sure how to show it with her awake and fearful of him.

It didn't alleviate her fears of him completely, but the recognition of the Hoshigaki's kindness made her much more comfortable with falling asleep. Now, rather than acting the part of relaxed and asleep, she could feel herself slowly falling into the abyss of dreams.

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Kisame startled slightly. It had begun to rain several hours ago, but he heard the rain begin to slack off a little. It had turned to snow, and he had been watching through a small gap in a leaf he'd pulled aside.

Now, however, ice was raining from the sky. The shards pelted their fragile shelter, and Kisame was grateful that they had opted to stop under a tree rather than attempt to set up tents with their covers. The tree's roots were much sturdier than any tent he could have constructed, and the shelter it provided was much safer.

Rather than leaving the leaf pulled away from its brethren, Kisame replaced it and leaned back once more. He allowed a curious glance at the sleeping Hyuuga, wondering not for the first time how she was still asleep with all the noise of the woods.

A bright flash of lightning lit the small shelter as a crash of thunder interrupted his ponderings, also startling the girl from her sleep with a gasp. The storm was directly over their heads now, as there was little time between the light and the sound. Perhaps it was a good thing that the noise had finally woken his partner.

"Morning, Princess," he uttered, grinning in a shark-like manner.

She gave him a small smile from where she had slept. Though she was almost within his arm's reach, he refrained from reaching out to pat her head as one would a younger sibling. "It's still night, Kisame-san," she demurred. "You should have gotten me up earlier so you could get some rest and I could keep watch," she admonished him in a motherly tone.

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"Nah, I'm used to even less sleep than this. On missions, sleep is a luxury I usually don't make much time for. With this storm, though, I have a feeling we'll be trapped here for a while. You should try to get a bit more rest. I know you're still exhausted, Princess."

"Why do you call me that?" She finally asked; it had been a question she'd wanted to ask for a while, but had never felt she had the time. Sitting up, she prepared to listen to his story. She untangled herself from her own blanket, preferring to sit on it and wrap the one Kisame had given her around herself because of its warmth.

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He watched her carefully for a few moments, trying to decide whether he wanted to answer her. Finally, he glanced down at his clasped hands in his lap and answered. "It used to be a joke between Itachi and me. When you first arrived in the Akatsuki, you played the part of damsel in distress very well, just like a princess. You were the heir of your clan, and your mannerisms spoke highly of your upbringing. Itachi commented that you acted like a spoiled princess, and I agreed with him." He watched as Hinata opened her mouth to speak, but held up his hand. "Let me finish before you say anything, okay?" He ordered, watching as she nodded.

"I had said the something of the like to Itachi when he first joined up with us because of his aloofness and disposition. He was something of a prince, spoiled into thinking he was the most powerful person in the world, and outwardly very cruel. He seemed the sort of prince who was raised in royalty without the compassion of a queen." He thought back on his first meeting with Itachi, wondering how he had never seen the false bravado in his eyes, the depth of his sadness about killing all the Uchihas.

A toothy grimace twisted his features as he continued, "Had I known then what I know now, I never would have said that to him. It was all a mask he put up to appear stronger to Akatsuki than he really was at the time, so that we would think twice before picking fights with him. From what I know, no one ever did challenge him.

"After he was forced to spend a week as your caretaker, his attitude toward you changed drastically. We called you Princess behind your back because Itachi saw something of his old self in you. He could see your insecurities, but he could also see your potential. Your first week with us, it was an insult, but the nickname's meaning shifted meaning to show Itachi's favor toward you."

He looked up to see Hinata's reaction, noticing the tears that shimmered in her eyes during the next flash of lightning. This time, it took the thunder several short seconds to reach them, meaning the storm was passing over them in a somewhat timely fashion.

"I never knew. You two have referred to me as such since my first days in Akatsuki? I don't understand why you never called me that to my face," she said, sniffling and lifting her hand to her eyes. "Itachi never said a word about it."

"I didn't expect him to. He was a proud man. Sometimes, he had too much control over his emotions and expressions for his own good. Unless he was absolutely sure that he could trust you beyond any doubt, he never would have told you."

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Hinata nodded. Kisame had given her a lot to think about, but her mind was still sluggish with her previous chakra exhaustion. "I think I'll take you up on your offer to let me sleep more. Are you sure you don't need to do so, also?"

"I'm positive. Just rest, Princess."

"Thank you, Kisame-san. I appreciate it, and the blanket you gave me. Would you like it back now?" She asked, lifting it from around herself and holding it out to him.

"No, you're the one going back to sleep. You need to stay warm."

She nodded, then laid back down. Turning on her side, she whispered a quiet "Thank you," and curled up to return to sleep.

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Having finished his ramen, the man paid and left the stall. His wooden sandals clacked each time he took a step, and his light green eyes narrowed as they met with the sunlight outside. Brushing his light brown hair out of his line of vision, he smirked to himself, though it was a wide grin that was plastered to his face. _This is way too easy. Someone should have noticed me by now._ He thought.

Almost expecting someone to appear in front of him after that thought crossed his mind, he stepped out into the street.

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"Tsunade-baa-chan! I heard that Sasuke's back!" Naruto shouted the moment he'd heard that woman call him into her office.

"I have heard rumors of him being sighted around our walls, but there have been no concrete reports. Nor could his showing up be a coincidence. He's probably heard that his brother is dead, and is seeking vengeance against our dead Gazelle," the blonde, heavily endowed woman at the desk explained. "This does not bode well for us."

"Why not? Baa-chan, I'm sure that if I can talk to him, we can catch him and make him stay!" Naruto shouted exuberantly.

"I'm not sure that you could, Naruto. Listen to me, and if you don't hear anything else that I tell you, hear this: Sasuke only wants revenge against Gazelle for killing his brother right now. Gazelle is dead, so he will want to find Hinata. We need to lead him to the Akatsuki so that he'll destroy it instead of us. Do you understand?"

She watched Naruto's jaw drop, and knew the moment he began to speak that he didn't agree. "We can't send him to Akatsuki to kill Hinata! If he finds out that she loved his brother, he'll torture her before he kills her, and whether she betrayed us or not, I don't want two of my close friends to have to fight to the death with one another!" His passionate speech didn't sway the Hokage, despite his sound reasoning.

Hers was more founded, as usual.

"Naruto, think about it. If we somehow get the word out that Uchiha Itachi was killed by Gazelle, and Gazelle was killed by Hinata, how do you think he'd react? He would search out Akatsuki, and kill everyone who was in his way to get to her. From what you described, the criminals are rather attached to our little traitor, so they'd defend her with their lives like Itachi did." She saw the moment that he understood her line of reasoning.

"So that way, he would have to kill most of the Akatsuki to get to her. And if that happened, he would probably end up wiping out a fair number of them before he was killed, or even all of them. It would be like he was helping us out, instead of trying to destroy us," Naruto affirmed with a decisive nod.

Tsunade reciprocated the movement, and then ordered him not to tell any of the Konoha shinobi, but if any strange civilians seemed curious, no matter what they looked like or how they acted, he was to explain the details of the battle to them.

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Just as the storm began to lighten up, Hinata shifted from her quiet place beside him. Her breathing didn't change, but she was awake. "Kisame-san, would you like to rest for a little while?" She asked him. "I know you haven't slept at all tonight. I'll keep watch for as long as you need."

"Nah, I'll be fine, Princess."

"But you need to be at your best if you're going to protect me and cover my back while I kill the target," she quibbled genially, rolling over to face the man in question.

"I could protect you from a fat old man if I was asleep during the attack. Besides, the storm has let up quite a bit. It should stop snowing soon," Kisame predicted. "We should go ahead and pack the blankets back up. As soon as we're done with that, we'll leave, snowing or not."

Hinata sighed, knowing that she wouldn't win the argument, and nodded. She stood from her makeshift bed, folded both blankets, and gave the thicker one to its owner. "Thank you very much, Kisame-san, for lending me your blanket." She bowed her head slightly, holding said object out to him.

"Of course. I didn't need it, and there was no reason to let you freeze."

After a few more exchanges of pleasantries and such, the two peeled back the branches from their provisional hut and stepped into the surprisingly bright sunlight. "I thought you said it was still storming?" She said, implying with her tone that she was really questioning him.

"It was dark. I thought that the sunlight would trickle through the branches and leaves more than they did," he admitted in a tone that would have been sheepish had he been anyone other than the Hoshigaki she knew.

Together, they covered the fact that they had slept under the roots the night before, and then began their long trudge through the newly icy treetops. The ex-Hyuuga heiress made sure to take extra care while traveling by tree branches, knowing that she didn't want to fall and look like a fool on her first mission with her new partner.

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His next stop, after the Ichiraku ramen stand, would have been the tavern had it been later in the day. However, he doubted that there were many people getting drunk in the middle of the day, so he would have to wander the village for a few hours to try to pick up some information.

He smirked when he saw that Naruto had decided to slow down, but still walked with his trademarked swagger and smile. His cerulean eyes seemed to catch on Sasuke's light green ones, and the Uzumaki moved to approach him. "I'm sorry about nearly running over you earlier," he said, "but I'd just heard that one of my best friends was back near the village. I had to go talk to the Hokage."

"That's okay. I understand how lonesome being without one of your friends for a long period of time can be." Sasuke reassured his once-best-friend-and-rival. "If I may, who is your friend?"

"Just a fellow ninja. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm gonna be the next Hokage! Who are you?" He enthusiastically publicized, shouting more at the sky than speaking to the Uchiha.

"Hotaka Fumio." The two young men shook hands, smiling as they did so. "Hey, I heard someone say something about a Konoha ninja being killed a little while ago. Does that happen often?" He inquired.

"Actually, no. But this ANBU, Gazelle, I think was her mask, was killed by one of our own. She's a traitor, S-class missing ninja. An ANBU cell was sent out to capture her and kill her companions in Akatsuki, but none of them returned." Naruto leaned forward, motioning for Sasuke to do the same. "Don't let anyone know that I told you this, but Hyuuga Hinata is the traitor. She ran off with Uchiha Itachi, and when Gazelle killed him, she flew off the handle and killed Gazelle in response."

Naruto straightened up once more, knowing that, should this civilian be Sasuke, he had just sent his best friend to his possible doom. He may have been the sixth or seventh person Naruto had talked to, but it didn't make sharing the information, or the thoughts behind sharing, any easier.

**(A/N: So, here's the next chapter. Not much to say tonight. I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a review to let me know whether you did or didn't!)**


	23. The Storm

**(A/N: Super busy this past month. Just barely had time to finish my homework, much less this chapter. I'm very sorry for the brevity, but I can't handle much more than this at the moment. I've been up to my ears in work this month (and last) and am rather stressed out at the moment. I'm experiencing writer's block with this, so I'm sorry if it feels like this is going nowhere. But it's going places, and rather quickly, if I do say so myself. You'll see soon. But anyway, I have three track meets this week; they'll probably take up most of my free time, but I'll still try to work on this. I am completely and thoroughly exhausted, and the "Spring forward" in time last night did not help me a bit. Also, running (literally) on very little sleep is NOT FUN. Neither is jumping, for that matter. Not in a competition/meet, anyway. But whatever. I hope you enjoy this chapter of MC, and I would love for you to review for me!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 23

The first thing that ran through his mind as the blonde leaned away from him was: _Is he kidding me? That weak little girl killed my brother's killer?_ Thinking through it, though, he realized that there was no reason for his once-friend-and-rival to go through the streets, lying to random civilians about the goings-on of Konoha.

"Really? What rank was she when she defected?" He inquired, widening his eyes in the closest expression he could to awe.

"She was a gennin," Naruto replied, and Sasuke knew he was wondering if he – the 'civilian'- knew anything about shinobi ranks.

"And she killed one of your ANBU? Sounds like she was holding out on you guys all this time. That, or your ANBU are a lot weaker than everyone thinks they are."

The youngest Uchiha nearly smirked at the clearly-ruffled feathers of his ex-teammate. "The ANBU here are the strongest in the world! There's no way it's the last part. The Akatsuki must have been training her because the Hinata I knew would never have hidden that kind of talent from the village she loved so much!" Though he kept his voice quiet, Sasuke could still hear the passion and anger in the Uzumaki's voice.

The Uchiha held up his hands in a placating manner. "Alright, alright, I didn't know. Do you know why she ran off with the man who destroyed the Uchiha?"

For the first time since he had met back up with Naruto, the older blonde looked uncertain.

"What is it? Is it bad? The reason she left with him, I mean," Sasuke inquired, nearly forgetting that he was supposed to be a civilian who didn't care about the inner workings of the clans-system in Konoha.

This question caused a shadow to fall behind Naruto's eyes; it was as though he was suspicious. There was no way the Uzumaki could know that he was an Uchiha. He had done nothing to implicate himself, or to associate himself with his true personality.

"I'm really not supposed to just hand out information like that. I mean, there's another missing nin around here, and I don't know how he would react to the news that his brother was killed."

Sasuke nearly laughed aloud. He already _did_ know that his brother was dead. How much worse off could the Hyuuga girl be? He knew that she had caused Itachi's death, keeping him from his revenge, and then killed the ANBU who had killed Itachi. That was twice she had stolen his revenge; how much more damage could be done?

"Do I really look like a murderer? I couldn't kill someone if I wanted to, not to mention that I have no reason to go after this girl. I don't particularly want to die," Sasuke said pathetically entreating the Uzumaki to tell him what he wanted to know without sounding too interested.

Naruto sighed, and Sasuke frowned. He guessed that he was the only one who had asked this far into the boy's story, and he didn't particularly want to keep pressing. If the Uzumaki didn't tell him after that question, the raven haired young man would leave it alone until dark. After that point, he could go to a tavern, find some drunken ninjas, and ask them about it.

His focus sharpened on his lighter haired conversation partner as he began to speak. "I was actually the one who was sent on the mission to bring her back," Naruto began. He told Sasuke of the battle that had led up to the elder Uchiha brother's death, ending the story with his actual murder. "When he jumped in front of the attack that was meant for Hinata, he did it with a smile on his face. A smile. Hotaka-san, I'd never seen an S-class missing ninja smile until Itachi did. As he lay dying, I heard Hinata say that she loved him. That's why they left the village. They were in love."

The despair the Uchiha heard in his friend's voice was unlike any he had heard in a very long time from his typically sunny, upbeat personality. In fact, it had only sounded like that once to the raven haired man's knowledge: the time when he, himself, had abandoned the village. He made a soft noise of acceptance of the explanation, though his entire being rebelled against him for doing so.

"If you're done asking questions of me, I think I'd like to return to my home now," Naruto said, disconcertingly dejected as he turned away from 'Fumio'.

Sasuke watched his once-friend's back disappear into the crowded street. He had to admit, the boy was a smart one. He had placed them in a carefully monitored crowd, where anyone could hear, but no one could _really_ hear what had been said. If the Uchiha hadn't known better, he would have said that he was being set up.

_There's no way that Naruto would ever try to hurt me. He's still trying to get me to return to this dreadful village. If he gave me the information to try to capture me, I would understand, but to kill me? Never._

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The icy bite of the wind was still in the air by midday, when the two Akatsuki partners touched down for a small lunch of dried rations. Hinata, who was the first one to withdraw her food from her pack, stood leaning against a far-reaching, rough barked oak tree.

She tilted her head back, looking up at the branches that stretched out of her range of sight. She could use her Byakugan to look all the way to the top, but she didn't want to waste her energy and be reprimanded by Kisame again. Once was enough to teach her.

As she looked into the branches, she allowed her mind to drift away from the mass-murderer across from her, away from their up-coming murder mission, away from all of her problems that would need to be dealt with.

Idly, she wondered whether trees worried about anything. Trees lived and grew; just because people didn't understand what they said didn't mean they didn't think. _I wonder if this tree worries about fire. Or maybe lightening, storms and the like. Does it worry about living to see tomorrow, or just living through winter? Could it just live, without thought for anything else?_

Catching herself and shaking her head at the strange thoughts running through her mind, she blinked.

Kisame, standing a short distance across from her and mirroring her pose on a different tree, blinked back at her. "You okay, Princess?" He asked, pushing his body away from the deciduous tree.

"I'm fine; thank you, Kisame-san."

"Just making sure. You were daydreaming for a while," he chuckled, the sound like that of gravel crunching beneath her shoes.

"Who is the man we need to assassinate?"

"Do you really need to know his name? If you know who he is, it will just make it that much harder for you to kill him."

Hinata nodded, understanding. "But what if I do know him? If, when I find his body, I recognize him, what will I do?"

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"You will kill him anyway. If you don't, you will never become a true Akatsuki member. You would be one of us in name, but not in ability, and that is one of the most dangerous things you can do," the Hoshigaki warned her, hoping she would take his words to heart and let nothing stand in the way of her mission.

He watched her nod, then gestured toward the sky. "We need to get a move on. If we don't hurry, we'll never make it to the coast in time to get catch and kill this man."

The two took to the trees again, carefully coating their feet with chakra to keep them from slipping from the icy-smooth branches in the glaringly white snow.

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"Hokage-sama, I must leave to meet with one of the men who import my supplies. Lately, he has been rather evasive when I ask him what happened to the shuriken I ordered from him months ago. I have sent countless letters to both his home and his business, and he only replies with general answers."

"And why should I let you leave? How do I know you will be doing what you say, and not searching for Hinata?"

The muscles in the man's jaw clenched and Tsunade watched his eyes harden in anger. "How dare you accuse me of the same negligence to my duties? You can take my word for what I've told you, and I can give you the letters which I have received from my shipper, but you will have no proof. Regardless, I must ask for your leave, so that I may gather the necessary information," the man across from her said, his chocolate-brown, long hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and his white eyes were empty of all emotions.

As she observed, she watched his eyes fill with betrayal, and knew that if she didn't give him permission to leave Konoha for the port city, then he would still leave and she would have yet _another_ problem to deal with.

Sometimes being Hokage was the worst, least gratifying job ever.

"Okay, you may go. On one condition: you must bring one other person with you. Someone who is not of the Hyuuga clan, and who is not connected with Hinata in any type of intimate relationship." _No lovers, no family, no close friends._ She thought to herself.

The man across from her seemed to grow older before her eyes. "Fine," he said, standing with a sigh and marching from the room without another sound.

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Sasuke had all the information that he needed. The sun was nearing the end of its descent from its place in the afternoon sky, signaling to the frogs and other night-time creatures that it was almost time to wake up.

He would soon be leaving the village once more. It was time for him to search out Akatsuki's hiding place to ferret out the small girl who stole his one chance at making right his wrongs. His one chance to find out _WHY_ his brother had killed everyone the youngest Uchiha had ever loved.

He would find her, and he would attempt to have a civil conversation with her.

He had much that he wanted to know, and if his brother truly loved her, then she was probably the only one alive who could answer them.

This thought placed a scowl on his face. How in the world could his brother have fallen for such a girl? She was weak, and she didn't even show potential. The only thing that she possessed that was remarkable was her determination, and that was only when the Uzumaki had been around her.

He hated to be dependent on anyone. He hated being dependent on those who were strong for information, new techniques, and teachings. He hated having to rely on the weak more than anything else in the world.

And that was exactly what he was being forced to do.

After she answered his questions, he would kill her. It would be as simple as that. Akatsuki didn't protect their own. Itachi was the exception to the rule.

_I can't wait to see the look on her face when I kill her after she tells me everything I want to know._ He smirked, allowing the transformation jutsu he had used to melt away as he left the village under the cover of darkness.

A morbid happiness filled him. He knew he would soon face his brother's lover, speak with her, and then kill her. It brought a twisted chuckle from his throat, the dark, ugly laughter frightening an owl from its resting place high in the tree tops.

**(A/N: Okay! I'm done. Kudos to you if you can guess where this is all going. Even more if you can guess who the man speaking with Tsunade is. I didn't leave it too vague, but it is still slightly vague-ish. (: Good luck. Let me know who you think it is [and/or what you think will happen]. As usual, let me know if you liked this chapter, what/if you didn't, and what I can do to improve! Have a grand day, and God bless!)**


	24. The Convergence

**(A/N: HI! I feel terrible that my chapters keep getting shorter and shorter. But that doesn't change the fact that they will be this way for this update, and probably the next one too. Track is killer on my free time, and most of that (very little) free time is spent doing school work or at my church (neither of which I can or want to [respectively] give up). So I hope you don't mind rather short chapters for now. I promise that they'll get longer again as soon as track season is over and I have more time to sit at home and type without falling behind on my work, kay? (:**

**Oh! I almost forgot to tell you guys! HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY! (I didn't play any pranks, although I seriously thought about telling you guys I was going to give up this story in an author's note chapter, then post the actual chapter later.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor do I make a profit off of this. This is just practice for what I hope to be a future career.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 24

Despite the fact that the coastline was significantly warmer than the inner land, there was still snow piling onto the beach. "Kisame-san, where is the exporter for whom we are searching?" The ex-Hyuuga woman asked.

"We should be approaching his home shortly. It's a rather large house at the edge of a harbor, where he stores his ships when they're not in use."

Hinata made a sound of acknowledgement, glancing down at the beach from the tree line. "I've never seen so much snow in the sand before," she murmured softly, shifting her eyes to see the Hoshigaki's reaction.

Though he allowed nothing to cross the high-set cheekbones of his face, his yellow eyes sparkled with something that Hinata would equate with amusement had her partner been someone else. "Then again, I've never been on the coast this far north. It's beautiful."

Her partner nodded, cracking a smirk in her direction. "Very true. Beautiful and deadly are the best combinations. After all, who would suspect something as beautiful as snow would cause such a painful death as hypothermia can?" The moment the words left his mouth, he sent a fleeting look toward the girl.

Two bright flares of chakra made their way into her active Byakugan's line of vision, and she frowned. She motioned for the older man to slow down and stay quiet, gesturing in the direction of the approaching ninja.

Suddenly, she halted her travels altogether and gaped at the chakra signatures in a manner befitting a koi fish.

Kisame, apparently noticing her stopped progress, moved closer to her to quietly question, "Are you okay? What is it?" Despite his rough voice that easily carried across distances, he was a surprisingly good whisperer, Hinata noted inanely.

"It's my father; he's one of the ones who is out there," she responded, her voice and eyes devoid of emotion as she spoke of the man who had raised her until her mother had died.

She saw him tense as though he thought she would run to her father and throw herself at him, begging him to bring her home. She saw her partner flash a look of pity, mixed with something she couldn't identify, in her direction.

"I'm not going to leave your side, Kisame-san. It hurts that you think I would abandon you for this man after I didn't want to leave with the boy who was my first love," she confided, forcing a playful laugh into her voice and knowing that he wasn't fooled.

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_How long until she realizes that we're here?_ Hiashi wondered to himself. He had caught sight of his daughter and another missing nin several meters back, but he didn't want to unduly alert them to his presence, so he continued to move toward his destination.

Curious as to their destination, he made certain to keep track of their movements. They seemed to be heading toward the same place that he was, though he was not sure what business they could have with the exporter of Hyuuga goods.

_I wonder if she's showing him how to get there so that they can raid Konoha's supplies,_ he thought, then shook his head. Hinata had never been this far north on the shoreline before, so she didn't even know the exact location.

Had she stayed in the Leaf Village, she would have been taught about imports, exports, and all of the harbors used by the Hyuuga. She would have been educated in the business side of the family, rather than just the ninja side. His daughter would never have had to bloody her hands again once she became the Hyuuga Clan leader.

Instead, she had abandoned her friends, family, and home for the sake of murderers, crooks, and liars the likes of which she had never met in her life. She had abandoned everything good for all that is bad.

She left, and now she had to spend the rest of her life with crimson covered hands, as a weapon to the most destructive organization the ninja world had ever seen.

Hiashi shook his head. "Hyuuga-sama, what do you see?" A person to his right touched his sleeve, finally getting his attention through the movement.

"It's nothing, Shikamaru-kun. I thought I saw something, but it was just a raven."

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Said young man frowned suspiciously, but allowed the Hyuuga leader some privacy of thought. It couldn't have been easy to lose a daughter, an heiress, and his dignity all in one short span of time, especially not when he was rejected by his daughter for mass murderers. _How embarrassing._

The Nara wondered why he was chosen to accompany the Hyuuga Head to the harbor in Omeishu. He was connected to Hinata, albeit not closely attached to her, but enough to cloud his judgment should he need to kill her.

_Why did Tsunade-sama tell me to come with Hyuuga-sama? Is it because I can think calmly in the middle of a battle, or because I'm rational where this man wouldn't be?_

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"Please cease your pacing so I can think, you idiot!" The purple eyed man shouted toward a blonde man.

The two were sitting in the lounge, one pacing back and forth in front of the couch, and the other attempting to read a book on pagan religions while sitting on said couch.

"Well, forgive me, Hidan. I know you couldn't care less for anyone but yourself, but some of us have people we care about!" The blonde quipped. "I have a friend out on an assassination in a cold climate when she has just gotten over being sick!"

Hidan's eyes narrowed, thinking of his last confrontation with the young woman. He had been harsh, but it had been necessary. She needed to learn her place in the food chain of the organization.

Just because she had made 'friends' with Deidara, Kisame, Konan, and through her, Pein, didn't mean that she was instantly the favorite of every Akatsuki. She had to be reminded that when those four weren't around to protect her, she was fair game to be fought and harmed just like the rest of them were.

He was suddenly brought back to earth as Deidara finished asking him a question.

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As Deidara watched Hidan's expression, he knew that the silver haired man was hiding something about Hinata from him. "What did you do to her?"

"What?"

"What did you do to Hinata," he repeated, anger creeping into the edge of his tone.

"Nothing more than she deserves, Blondie," Hidan smirked, enjoying himself as he watched the ex-Iwa nin get riled up.

"Tell me what you did to her right now, you obnoxious fool, or I'll make sure Kisame knows that you hurt her."

"Ooh, I'm so frightened of you. Let me tell you everything!" Hidan laughed, throwing his head back in amusement.

"Or he could make sure I know," a very feminine voice quietly asserted from the doorway of the lounge.

"Ah, Konan. I wondered if you would ever leave your room. I haven't seen you since we moved from the old hideout," Hidan smirked, steering the conversation away from the ex-Hyuuga heiress.

"You obviously haven't looked very hard then," she gave him a blank stare, then spoke again. "So tell me, Hidan. What did you do to Hinata that has Deidara so fired up at you?"

Beginning to feel uncomfortable with the turn of events, Hidan opened his mouth. Before he could speak, however, Konan interrupted him. "And don't presume to lie to me, either. I will find out one way or the other, and you had best be telling the truth."

Hidan scowled, looking from the woman to Deidara. "Fine. I yelled at her in the hall for waking me up at one in the morning!" He gave in, shouting. "Are you happy now? I told you."

"I have a sneaking suspicion that you are not telling us the whole truth; don't you, Deidara-san?"

He nodded his head, and Hidan sent a scathing look to the blonde. "Fine, I threatened her," he began, recounting an edited, kinder version of his last conversation with the Hyuuga girl before her mission. "Now, I'm leaving, and don't bother coming to look for me. I have a blood offering to Jashin-sama that I need to make." Hidan stalked through the room, snapping the book shut and slamming it on the couch's side table before throwing the door shut behind him.

Konan and Deidara were left alone.

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The Uchiha made his way carefully to where Naruto had told him the old Akatsuki hideout was located. From there, he would call upon one of his summons, possibly one of the Uchiha summons. A cat would be perfect for stalking prey, though not as helpful as a dog would be.

Nodding carefully upon entering the clearing before the building where the Akatsuki hid for many years, he began to mutter, "Boar, dog, bird, monkey, ram!" He shouted the last syllable, slamming his hand into the ground.

A puff of smoke rose from under his hand as a large house cat began to groom itself. "Hello, Sasuke. Long time no summon." It seemed to smile, it's sharp teeth revealed like fangs beneath it's rough nose.

"Do you remember the scent of Hyuuga Hinata?"

"The Hyuuga heiress who visited the Uchiha complex all those years ago, when it was still thriving, each year for your birthday?" The cat asked. "Of course I remember her."

"Would you be able to track her scent from here? It's a bit over a week old, so it may be rather faint."

"I'll see what I can do," the cat said, grinning once more at the thought of helping its summoner.

While the cat worked, Sasuke decided to explore what he could see of the hideout. It seemed like a Shinto shrine, almost. Ornate, beautiful, and the colors were just as awe-inspiring.

However, it was not the building itself, nor the beauty of the pieces around it, nor the ruin of the walls or ceilings that caught his eyes.

It was a stone placed at the head of a patch of freshly turned dirt. Morbidly curious, he thought he knew what it was.

He approached, breathing deeply through his mouth, and knelt by the gravestone. He read the inscription:

_R.I.P._

_Uchiha Itachi, 24_

_Beloved by his Akatsuki family_

_Sacrificed by his village_

_May he finally find his peace_

Unexpected tears sprang to his eyes. He wondered how the village had sacrificed his brother, and how he could have been beloved by the Akatsuki. _The words Akatsuki and family should never be used in the same sentence, especially not in this context. It's an oxymoron!_

The only person alive who could answer his questions was the one person he least wanted to talk with. She was the one person he hated more than anyone else on the planet, but she was the one who knew his brother best, so she was the one with whom he would have to speak.

He growled to himself, then heard his summon meow. "I've found her scent. It's very faint, and mixed with so much blood I can barely smell her, but I think I can follow her scent to wherever she is now."

Sasuke nodded, stood, then bowed his head to his brother's grave. "I will not give up my vow of revenge," he said with conviction as he took to the trees to follow the cat.

**(A/N: Well, here it is. This chapter of MC. I hope you enjoyed it so much more than I enjoyed writing it (and I always enjoy doing that!) (: Have a great day, drop a review if you'd like (because I would like you to do so, and it's always nice to hear from you all), and I'll see yall in three weeks!)**


	25. The Observations

**(A/N: HI! I've got the next chapter of MC for you guys (and gals)! Not much to say up here today, most of the note is at the bottom. (: I hope you enjoy tonight's installment!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor do I make any profit from this or any other story of mine.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 25

Shikamaru watched the clan leader grow tense as they approached the Hyuuga's trading partners. "Hyuuga-sama, something is obviously wrong. What is it that you see?"

"It's nothing. I just don't want to enter and find that they've been cheating my clan," the man stated, narrowing his eyes and relaxing his shoulders. "They've done it before, and the last time we had a representative out here, they were not happy about being found out."

Shikamaru made a noise of acceptance, making sure to keep his own eyes opened for any trouble that may be lurking in the shadows.

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"What do you think we should do, Kisame-san? My father is obviously going to the same place that we are headed, and he has brought Shikamaru-san with him. I wonder why they are going to the business whose owner we are supposed to assassinate. Who is he?"

"I know he supplies goods to Konoha, but I don't know why your father would be this far out here just for Konoha supplies. I'm not sure of his name; I never cared to ask," Kisame answered, shaking his head.

Hinata thought heavily on this for several more minutes as they continued toward the home of their target.

Suddenly, she stopped, almost shouting for Kisame to do the same, but catching herself just in time to call out a quiet warning that she had quit moving.

When she saw that he had turned around to come back to her side, her eyes widened and she nearly panicked. To hide it, she looked down at the ground, almost ashamedly. "Our target is the man who supplies all of the goods to the Hyuuga household! If we go in there now, there will probably be several branch-house Hyuuga guards, and they'll immediately know that I'm the heiress and that I've fled the village. I can't go in there or we'll both be killed immediately!" She began to babble, but stopped herself when Kisame bent down toward her, lifted up her chin and put a finger to her lips to silence her.

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"I didn't know that they supplied the Hyuuga, but I highly doubt that any of your family could get through me. Look at my chakra system and tell me that you could kill me right now. Even if it were your father and cousin, I highly doubt they could injure me so severely that the both of us would be killed," Kisame attempted to reassure her shaking, unsteady form.

He had known that she had extreme self-confidence issues several years ago, when he and Itachi had covertly entered Konoha to study the ninja of the Leaf. However, he had no idea that they were all rooted in her family.

All her low self-confidence, stuttering, and panicking had been linked to the way she was raised behind the walls of the Hyuuga Compound.

He frowned, lines marring his forehead and lips thinning as his mouth angrily set into an unhappy expression. "Listen to me well, Princess. You and your healing skills are valuable to the Akatsuki, especially now that the one who knew all of the basics is gone. You are powerful in your own right, or Leader-sama wouldn't have given you a position in his organization, nor would you have been allowed a field mission. The moment you return from your first successful mission as a full agent of Akatsuki, you will be given a ring and a position in the group," he gently reassured her of her own power, hoping it would help restore some of her previous poise.

He watched as the whirling emotions in her eyes began to calm. He heard her take a deep breath, then watched as the wall behind her eyes was rebuilt. Soon enough, she had her wits gathered and was as closed off from her emotions as the way Itachi had trained her to be.

It was almost frightening, the way her facade resembled the deceased Uchiha's when Kisame took the time to look down into her face. "That's better," he complimented her. "There's no reason to panic just because there are Hyuuga there. If they see you alarmed, then they will think you're still the weak heiress you were when you left them.

"If you're calm and collected, though, they may fear you. They'll know that you're not the person you once were, and they will be thrown into doubt about how much stronger you've gotten."

Kisame saw the steely resolve that entered her eyes even before she spoke, but he was proud when her voice was the most level, unhesitating tone that he'd ever heard from her. "You're right, Kisame-san. Let's do this. Now, what's the plan?"

"Well, we should make sure to get there before your father and his partner. If they meet up with their supplier, and then he disappears, then it will raise the alarm and we won't have enough time to escape without a fight. We don't want to get caught, remember? If we can infiltrate the building under henges, then the man won't even know you're a Hyuuga and we're both Akatsuki. The fact that his guards are Hyuuga makes this much easier, because you can attack him, and as long as they can't identify whose chakra killed him, the guards will be blamed. Can you let them take the blame for this?" He asked her upon noting that her face had gone absolutely ashen when he mentioned the guards taking the blame.

"I thought I could deal with this, but I'm not sure I can anymore. All of these guards are marked with the cursed seal, to keep people from stealing their Byakugan when they die. If they are blamed for the murder, then the seal will be activated and they will be in great pain as it causes their brains to disintegrate. It's the worst form of torture imaginable because there is no escape until the branded one dies, or the one activating the technique stops it." Hinata explained in a hesitating, halting voice that was so quiet, Kisame almost missed it.

Thinking on Akatsuki techniques and tortures, he realized that he had been wrong about the girl's clan. They were ruthless, and they were methodical, but they were not the family he had thought they were. The main branch were turncoats, people who couldn't even let their own family live freely. The seal wasn't to keep people from stealing secrets, it was for control! He would never tell Hinata the truth he had discovered; instead, he would ease her troubled mind about the branch members. However, the news he _had_ realized made their mission a failure from the start, but it still needed to be completed.

"If Hiashi is here, he probably already knows we're here, also."

Hinata's eyes widened and she let out a silent gasp of air. "I can't believe I didn't realize that. That means we've already failed our mission, doesn't it?" she asked as tears began to blur her vision, obscuring Kisame's compassionate look that was very out of place on his shark-like face.

"Yes, but we still need to take our chances and kill the shipping leader. If we don't, the Hyuuga will continue to receive supplies, and they will only continue to grow stronger without you. As long as your father knows we are here, he won't blame your branch members, especially if he sees us enter the house. I'm pretty sure he already knows where we're headed," Kisame shared his suspicions.

"That just means we need to move quickly, then," Hinata stated, surprising the Hoshigaki with her quick acceptance and willingness to press forward in the face of defeat.

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Hiashi motioned for Shikamaru to stop as the sun began to set. "I can see rather well in the dark, but you can't, and there's no reason for us to rush through this," was his only response to the Nara's unasked question.

Said man grunted an acceptance, then sat his pack on the ground and began to unpack his sleeping roll. The Hyuuga leader did the same.

Inconspicuously, he was watching his daughter and the very large, shark-like man with her. When Hinata stopped and looked like she was beginning to lose her nerve, the man turned around and came back to her. Hiashi saw his daughter's shoulders move as she began to shrink into herself, and he knew she was reverting to the way he had always known her. _I knew it was all a bluff. She was just faking her confidence in front of our ninja._ He thought, feeling slightly disgusted with himself for feeling relieved at the realization.

When he reached down to the female Hyuuga, Hiashi tensed, thinking that the man, who was more than a foot taller than her, was going to hit his daughter.

Hiashi was nearly floored when the man – an Akatsuki, of all people! – took her chin in his hand, placed a finger to her lips, and started speaking to calm her down. He had never seen his daughter react so quickly to words before, and he began to wonder if he was wrong about her for all the years he had sent her away from him to train and grow up.

He watched as her shoulders straightened, and she stood with regained confidence in herself. The male Hyuuga wondered where it had come from, and what had been said to her.

By that point, though, camp had been set up, and he could no longer justify to Shikamaru the benefits of keeping his Byakugan active, so he was forced to cut the chakra to his eyes and join the younger man for a cold dinner.

The tents had been prepared with a mind to the cold weather, so each bid the other a quick good night as they crawled into their respective resting places.

It had been previously decided that the Hyuuga would take first watch, and since he had the Byakugan, he took full advantage of it. He stayed as warm as he could without a fire inside his tent, while still being able to keep watch on the outside world _and my daughter and the murdering S-class ninja with her._

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Stumbling slightly on the icy tree branches beneath her feet, Hinata caught herself using chakra, then continued on behind her partner. The wind was gusting in their faces, and she was having trouble keeping up with the seemingly inexhaustible Hoshigaki.

After slipping again on her unsteady feet, she almost shrieked when she realized that she couldn't catch herself. Kisame must have heard the lack of footsteps behind him, because he quickly seized her hand.

Pulling her onto the branch beside him, he seemed to change his mind. Instead, he turned from her and knelt down, offering the chance for her to rest while he travelled for them. "I can't possibly! I don't want to inconvenience you and make it difficult for you to travel!" She responded to the silent offer indignantly.

He turned his head around to look at her with a skeptical look. "The only way you could inconvenience me is by continuing to travel on foot. You move too slowly, and I have to keep glancing over my shoulder to make sure you're still behind me," he pointed out, though not unkindly. "This way will be much quicker, you will get to rest a little, and it will be a great cover story. All you need to do is go ahead and put on your henge, and I'll do the same."

She nodded firmly, and a change washed over her body as she formed the necessary balance of spiritual energy, physical energy, and seals.

Her eyes turned a deep, velvety blue, almost akin to the night sky. Her hair faded from its typical midnight hue to a simpler, lighter brown color. She could almost hear Kisame's fascination as her skin darkened to a tan that made her look as though she belonged at the beach, rather than in the snow.

She watched his transformation with an equal amount of fascination. He had chosen to create a much less frightening look than he normally possessed. His yellow eyes darkened into a honey-brown color and his blue skin faded until it was pale and white, looking like he had spent little time in the sun. His hair, he left mostly alone, though he did lighten the color slightly in an effort to make it look dyed. The roots of his hair turned dark brown, as though the dye had been put in several weeks earlier.

Overall, neither would have recognized the other had they not seen each other's physical appearance change.

"Now, climb on my back and we'll make it to the house before your father," Kisame ordered her; she noticed that even his voice changed, and she made certain to memorize the sound of it for the mission.

The rest of the way to the shipper's home was uneventful, and Hinata was able to rest for a short while as the Hoshigaki carried her. Leaning her cheek against his shoulder, she allowed the motion of his travels to put her to sleep, knowing that was what he had meant for her to do.

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Hiashi nearly flew from his tent in a rage when he saw the two Akatsuki members change their physical forms. He should have known that they would do that, and acted accordingly.

He had allowed his love for his daughter to get in the way of his mission. Now, he was certain that the two of them were going to visit the Hyuuga's supplier, and that by the time he and Shikamaru made it to the man's house in the morning, he would be dead by one of their hands. The two of them were travelling too quickly for the Konoha ninja to catch up in time, even if they didn't have to clean up camp.

Sighing, he stood to wake Shikamaru and report his findings. He wouldn't specify who the two of them were, just that they were Akatsuki. Nodding to himself, he used his Byakugan to watch as his daughter was picked up by the almost six and a half foot man and carried the rest of the way through the trees at twice the speed they had been moving.

Indignant, he saw that his daughter had accepted the ride; he hadn't forced her to let him pick her up. He watched her lay her head on his shoulder, then saw the man smile at her in a brotherly way, almost in the way Neji had smiled at her in the months just before she abandoned Konoha.

He clenched his fist, turning away from the sight as he cut off the chakra from his eyes and left his tent. He woke Shikamaru, reported that he had seen two Akatsuki members in the distance, heading for the supplier's home, and the two quickly moved to pack up camp and hurry to their destination.

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Sasuke followed the cat, feeling like he was travelling across the country. "This would be so much quicker if you would stop second guessing me," the cat told him from where it stood, licking its paw in a very dignified manner.

"Just answer my question. Why is the scent doubling back toward Hi no Kuni, but veering northward. Why don't we just follow it to their hideout? That way, we'll know the Akatsuki's location, then we can find Hinata," Sasuke asked, beginning to get frustrated with the cat's inability to see his reasoning.

"Because you summoned me to find Hinata-chan. That's what we'll be doing, not going on a wild goose chase for some hideout that we probably won't find."

Sasuke growled at the cat, but relented. "Let's just find her, then," he sighed.

The cat let out a purr, meowed, and moved back toward the country from which they had come, though on a more northerly route.

**(A/N: There ya go! The 25****th**** chapter of MC, and it's still continuing. I'm honestly just as surprised as you guys are at the way things are turning out. This chapter gives a bit of insight into what Hiashi is learning about his daughter now that she's abandoned him and the rest of Konoha (even if he is quite a bit OOC, I still tried). Shikamaru was getting suspicious, but now Hiashi has told him about the two Akatsuki. Next chapter, they'll all be meeting up, and we'll see the fun when it happens. The only definite thing about this story right now is the ending, which I have firmly set in my mind. All the events leading up to that moment are just as much of a surprise to me as they are to you because I have no idea about them until I actually sit down and start typing them out. (: But that's okay, it's more fun this way because it's like I'm writing the story **_**and**_** reading it eagerly to find out what happens next, both at the same time! I hope you enjoyed this installment of Mysterious Captivation, and don't be shy to drop a review! Even the smallest review is a great encouragement to me and helps me keep these creative juices flowing!)**


	26. The Killing

**(A/N: Okay, here's the next chapter. I know what you're thinking: "Finally! It's been much longer than three weeks!" but I have yet to have time to sit and actually think about this story, much less type any of it. As sad as that is, it's the truth. I had AP testing last week, last Thursday AND Friday, so it was really rough. I was so brain-dead that I couldn't even think straight. I had stuff planned all weekend long that had nothing to do with school, computers, or anything like that. Before the tests, I had studying and last minute work to finish up, so it's just been a rough while. I'm now preparing for my final week of school, so wish me luck on all my final exams. I realized that if I didn't get this typed up today, I would never get it done. :/ Thank you all so much for your patience and willingness to wait for my updates!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 26

Kisame approached the door just as dawn was beginning to break. He knocked, careful not to dislodge the girl who was resting on his back.

When no one answered the door, he knocked again, this time slightly louder. The door swung inward just as he raised his hand once more.

"Please forgive my hesitance to answer the door. Lately there have been reports of Akatsuki in the area, so you can understand my reluctance to open my home to strangers."

Kisame frowned slightly, but quickly smoothed his expression. "Certainly, sir. My sister and I were just hoping for some shelter from the cold and the elements. We've been traveling for a long time, and this is the first building we have come across for several kilometers."

The man at the door, considerably shorter than Kisame, attempted to see the young woman who was draped across the visitor's back. "You two don't look very much alike."

The formerly blue-skinned man let out a soft bark of laughter. "We're told that often," he said, gently jostling the disguised Hyuuga on his back. When she began to stir, he spoke softly near her ear. "We're here, sis,"

She blearily opened her almond shaped eyes, squinting in the light of the newly risen sun. She made a small noise of acceptance through her sleep-fogged mind, then blinked several more times.

She lifted her head. "Are we going to be resting here today?" She inquired in a slightly rough voice.

Kisame turned his gaze toward the man who was still standing in the doorway and raised an eyebrow at him.

Turning an examining eye to the pair, that man was silent for a moment, then spoke. "You may stay, but only if you answer me these questions: Why are you travelling, and why did you continue to travel through the night?"

"We are headed toward Suna, where our father's business relocated. He went ahead of us to make a place for us, then he sent for us. I wanted to get there as quickly as possible, so I insisted that we travel through the night. I'd honestly rather not stay out in the open where we can freeze or be attacked."

The man in the doorway nodded, backing away from the door frame to allow them inside.

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Hiashi watched as his supplier opened the door to his mansion. He saw him exchange several sentences with the two disguised Akatsuki members, then back away from the frame to allow them into his house.

Vaguely, the Hyuuga wondered if Hinata had connected the dots between his presence and that man's home. Though she had never met the supplier, Hiashi wondered if she knew who he was to the Hyuugas anyway.

"Shikamaru-san, they've already met up with Takamoro-san. The Hyuuga's supplier will be dead before he eats breakfast, and there's nothing we can do about it!" The Hyuuga Clan leader growled angrily.

The Hyuuga watched as the Nara's steps never faltered. "We'll just have to move even faster, then. Maybe we should use our chakra."

"How will we fight them if we use all of our spare chakra?" The Hyuuga head asked. He opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted.

"How are we going to fight them and prevent a death if we can't even get to them before they flee, Hyuuga-san? We don't have much of a choice. If nothing else, we can always use a soldier pill just before we arrive." His logical thinking was foolproof, and Hiashi finally realized just how disturbed he had been that he'd seen his daughter acting so friendly with the Akatsuki.

"Okay," He relented, and the two Konoha ninja sped forward.

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"Oh, Takamoro-san, thank you so much for offering me and my sister some breakfast," Kisame said, glancing over his shoulder at the young woman, then to the man whom he was addressing. "I think she will take you up on the offer, but I would rather just rest. Is there anywhere I could sleep?" He asked, punctuating his question with a jaw-popping yawn.

"Of course!" The Hyuuga's supplier, Takamoro, said, motioning to a servant who had been waiting unseen in the entry way of the large home. "My servant will show you to a room where you can rest."

Kisame bent down, placing Hinata on the ground and patting her head. "I'll be back downstairs later, okay? Don't worry about waiting for me to eat, go on and enjoy Takamoro-san's hospitality." He turned back to the older man, saying, "Thank you very much. I don't know what we would have done without you," before he took to the stairs behind the servant.

Kisame caught the Hyuuga girl's eye, telling her without words that her job would be to kill the man without drawing attention to herself or him. When she incrementally nodded her head and he knew he was understood, he turned back around to follow the Hyuuga who was leading him to his room.

Upon arriving, Kisame swiftly moved to incapacitate the man, then placed him in the bed where Kisame would have been resting. He made it look as though **he** was the man in the bed, just in case the Hyuuga were allowed to use their Byakugan within the household.

That taken care of, he shut the door as he left, taking on the form of the downed Hyuuga. To be on the safe side, he still stayed out of sight of the other servants as much as possible. He didn't want to get caught before the mission could end, after all.

He quickly made his way down to the dining room, where he was almost certain that Hinata had been led. Though he didn't know its exact location, he had asked his guide for the general area and been given directions.

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_How am I going to do this? _Hinata asked herself as she followed the man with the broad back into the small dining room. The two stood just inside the door way to converse.

"Now, then, Miss. What can my servants get you to eat? We have anything you could possibly want, so all you need to do is request it," Takamoro said, gesturing to another Hyuuga man stationed in the corner of the room. He gestured for her to sit at the low table in the center of the otherwise empty room as he closed the sliding door behind the two of them. The tatami mats that were located on the ground at each plate seemed to be of very high quality, as was the wood with which the table was built.

Rather than moving to sit as he directed, Hinata spoke. "May I ask why there are so many people from the Hyuuga clan here? I thought they were a proud clan of Konoha; why are you calling them your servants?" The ex-Hyuuga heiress questioned, stalling while she tried to call up the nerve to kill the man.

"I give their clan a huge discount in my prices in exchange for ten Hyuuga branch members to use as servants for the length of their lives. Unless one of them is called away or there is an issue with my pricing, I never have any other contact with the Hidden Villages," the man smirked, then repeated his question about breakfast, clearly ending the conversation.

Hinata hesitated for a moment, then proceeded to ask another question, rather than answer the one that had been posed. "Are they all trained as ninja?" She made sure to keep her voice light, curious, and almost child-like in its innocence.

"No. I specifically wanted ten untrained men to act as my servants. This way, I never have to worry about them turning on me and murdering me in my sleep. Why so curious, girlie?"

Thinking fast, Hinata came up with an excuse. She frowned, looking vaguely disappointed, before speaking. "Well, I've always loved ninjas. My mother used to tell me stories about them, and I've always dreamt of meeting one. I thought maybe I'd finally get the chance," she smoothly lied, using her skills that she had learned from Itachi.

"Ah, I see. They are fascinating people, aren't they? Although, you probably don't want to meet one, because that would mean you were either their target, or in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ninja are very intimidating when you meet them face to face. I think it best that they stay figments of your imagination, rather than having them meet you," he admitted, and Hinata wondered if he was trying to impress her.

Hinata allowed her face to fall even more in mock-disappointment. "Oh," she uttered. "Oh well, then."

She looked up as she saw a hand enter her line of vision to get her attention. When she merely stared at it, he awkwardly allowed it to fall back to his side and spoke. "Would you like to sit and eat, now?"

She nodded her head, but paused to tell him what she would be ordering for breakfast. "I think I would like some onigiri for breakfast, if it's not too much trouble."

Takamoro motioned for his servant to leave the room to prepare the food she had asked for, then moved to lead Hinata to a spot directly beside his at the table.

Taking a deep breath, and knowing that once she made this move, she would truly be Akatsuki for the rest of her life with no chance of turning back (idly, Hinata thought that it should bother her more, but realized that she was perfectly fine with never being able to leave Akatsuki), Hinata swiftly gathered chakra into her palm.

In the next second, her palm connected with the man's back, right where his heart was beneath his ribcage. His breathing hitched for a moment, and he began coughing. He fell to his knees, choking on his own blood and attempting to draw air into his lungs.

Hinata turned away from his betrayed expression, watching as the disguised Kisame entered through the sliding doors behind her. "I did it," she stated unnecessarily. "Should I draw my chakra back out of his heart, or make them believe that one of the Hyuuga did it?" She said, her voice void of all feeling.

Inside, however, a piece of her was dying. It was the same every time she killed. Though she had never killed in cold blood before, she eventually would have had to do so even if she had stayed in Konoha. She took a glance at her hands, then raised her eyes to meet her partners'.

"I can't say that it really matters. You said your father and another Konoha ninja know we were here, so there's no reason to waste time covering our tracks. We should probably swipe some food from the kitchens, then leave here as fast as we can. We need to put some distance between us and this place before your father catches up."

Hinata nodded, and the two stealthily made their way to follow that plan of action. Along the way, the Hyuuga girl relayed the information she had learned about the Hyuuga servants to her partner in crime.

They checked the kitchen, making sure that the Hyuuga servant had already left for the dining area before entering. He had, so the two stepped through the machinery and searched out the pantry.

Finding it, Kisame took off his backpack to fill it with nonperishable, light foods to carry with them back to Akatsuki and eat along the way.

The moment it was filled, the Hoshigaki and Hyuuga pair turned to leave, but just after they set foot out the door to the snowy world outside and dropped their henges, someone spoke.

"Hello, Akatsuki."

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Hiashi, who had been keeping up with the Akatsuki pair by using his Byakugan, cursed under his breath, then spoke louder to Shikamaru. "We're too late. He's dead; my daughter killed him," he spat.

The Nara looked vaguely surprised and almost slipped on the icy ground. "Hinata? She's the one that ended Takamoro-san's life?"

Hiashi nearly growled, letting out a puff of visible air vapor with his breath. "Yes. My supplier was killed by my own daughter!"

Shikamaru made a sound of acknowledgement. "I figured it would have been her partner," he said, then paused in his movements when he realized that Hiashi had stopped. "What's wrong? Tell me there aren't more Akatsuki on their way."

The Hyuuga clan leader frowned, worry lining his forehead. "No, there aren't more Akatsuki on their way. It's worse than that: Uchiha Sasuke."

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"Are you sure this is the place? It doesn't look like an Akatsuki hideout to me," Sasuke asked the summoned cat.

"Do you doubt me, boy? I'm positive that she and the fish-man are here. Their scents are too strong, and everywhere around here, they start to fade. The two of them are definitely in that building," the cat replied.

Sasuke nodded, thanking the cat respectfully before allowing it to happily return to its warm home.

Staying within the shadowy but leafless haven of the woods, Sasuke watched the back door, where his summoned animal had told him Hinata's scent was the strongest.

He glared so darkly at the door that he nearly thought it would burst into flames the moment something came into contact with it, but it swung neatly open several minutes later to reveal his most hated enemies.

"Hello, Akatsuki," he said, watching their expressions fall to complete blank masks, rather than lifting in surprise.

"Well, hello to you, too, Sasuke," Kisame said, able to make the sentence sound polite without sounding affable. "What do you want?"

"I'm going to ask your partner a few questions. If the two of you don't cooperate, I'm not afraid to start a fight that I know I'll win."

Kisame, leaning down to the small girl beside him and whispering something in her ear, then stood and said, "Depending on your questions, we'll either answer them or leave. Ask away," he ended flippantly.

Sasuke, stunned that his brother's ex-partner would even consider cooperating but not allowing the shock to show, took a moment to gather his thoughts and word his questions carefully. "Did you know Itachi?" He asked first, being sure to start simply and work up to the knowledge he demanded.

"We did," Kisame responded, clearly unwilling to give extra information, but also willing to answer the question.

_So far, so good,_ Sasuke smirked. "Did you spend extensive amounts of time with him?"

Again, Kisame was the one that answered. While listening to the larger man's response, he took the time to study the smaller girl at his side.

Her eyes were downcast, and she was looking to the side. Her mouth was set in a tight line, and her eyes seemed to shine with a teary light, though he couldn't be sure.

"Itachi, Hinata, and I were very close."

"Which of you knew him better?" Sasuke asked, knowing that Kisame would answer that he knew him best because of all of their years as partners.

"Hinata."

Again surprised by the answer he had been given, Sasuke took a moment in asking his next question.

"Hyuuga, what was Itachi to you?"

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Kisame was worried. He didn't know how Hinata would react to being questioned about Itachi, but he knew that they would have to cooperate to get Hinata out alive.

It wasn't that he didn't trust in her abilities. No, far from that, he knew that she was just as capable of cold blooded murder as she was of killing in battle, but Sasuke was much too advanced for her to face.

Kisame could fight him, but he was scared that Sasuke would use his obvious preoccupation with the Hyuuga against him and take her hostage.

_No, if we're going to get out of this, we'll have to answer his questions. _Leaning down to the small Hyuuga girl, he whispered, "Don't worry. I'll do all the talking. You won't have to say a word about Itachi unless he specifically addresses you, okay?"

The Hyuuga gave a small nod, and he heard her sniffle softly. Turning his attention pointedly away from the fact that she was probably very close to tears, Kisame spoke louder, to Sasuke, "Depending on your questions, we'll either answer them or leave. Ask away," he ended flippantly.

And so the question and answer session began.

It was going well until Sasuke asked Hinata a direct question: "Hyuuga, what was Itachi to you?"

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She looked up from her shoes sharply. Speaking in a hesitant voice not unlike the one she once used to use all the time in Konoha, she said, "I'm honestly not sure," her voice wavered, cracking near the end.

"He was obviously important to you; the entire ninja world knows that you cared for him, at least. I think, though, that it was more than caring. You loved him," he accused scathingly.

A shudder ran through her body at being found out by her enemy. Weighing her words carefully, she looked up at Kisame, who was more than a foot taller than her, and moved closer to him as though for protection.

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The moment he felt Hinata pressing closer to him, he had to stifle the urge to look into her tear-filled eyes and wrap an arm around her shoulder. He knew she was searching for protection from Sasuke for her next words, words he knew to be an affirmation, so he had to stay fierce, not mushy.

He adjusted his stance threateningly, but allowed Hinata to stay very near him for protection.

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He watched as Hinata moved closer to Kisame, and the Hoshigaki altered his stance. When the blue-skinned man didn't move away, Sasuke could see that the younger girl was going to be fiercely protected.

He heard her take a deep, unnecessarily loud breath. He could almost see her gathering her courage. The Uchiha smirked haughtily. He'd hit the nail on the head. He gathered his chakra in preparation for an attack. The moment she gave the affirmative, he'd kill her.

"Yes, I did love your brother." She said, but continued on in the same breath, "but so did you."

The smirk melted off his face, "That was a long time ago, Hyuuga. Watch what you're saying very carefully," he ordered, tension flowing off of all the muscles in his body.

"He was more of a brother to me than anything. It took me a while to realize it, but I could never _fall_ in love with a man who shows no emotions. I didn't love your brother in a romantic sense, but I did love him. It was almost like he was trying to make up for his past mistakes, mistakes he made with you, by taking care of me and helping me transition to the life of a missing ninja,"

The tension, the one that twisted and coiled through his whole body, abruptly left him as he realized that this woman knew the real Itachi. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a sharp gasp by Hinata.

"Kisame-san, we have to go." She reached out to grab his hand, pulling slightly to show her urgency.

"Scared of me, Hyuuga?" He smirked again.

"Kisame-san, we really need to leave," Hinata reiterated, glancing over her shoulder. Something seemed to occur to the much taller man, and he returned his attention to Sasuke.

"Sorry, Uchiha, but we're gonna have to cut this question and answer session a bit short," he said, glancing down at his Hyuuga partner again. "How far?"

"About two kilometers. I'm glad I checked when I did, or they'd have overtaken us." She frowned.

"I'm not done with you two!" Sasuke shouted coolly, hating being ignored like a minor threat.

Kisame opened his mouth to tell Sasuke exactly how much he cared, but a glare from Hinata stopped him. He shut his mouth and let her speak her mind, nearly making Sasuke chuckle. "If you want to know more, meet us at the old Akatsuki hideout a week from tomorrow. Right now, though, we must leave. I suggest you do the same," she said, deactivating her Byakugan and giving him a glimpse of what the Akatsuki had seen in her.

Narrowing his eyes at her demanding tone, he nevertheless complied. "I'll be there," he said, then leapt into the trees with a speed that made it seem as though he simply disappeared.

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Hinata turned back to Kisame. "It is okay that I told him to meet back up with us, right?" She hesitantly wondered.

"Yes, we'll just need to get permission from Leader-sama ahead of time. It shouldn't be too big of a deal," he reassured her. "But for now, let's get a move on and get away from the Konoha ninja on our tail. Hop on," he ordered.

**(A/N: I really am sorry for the late update. I have been super busy lately, but I really don't have an excuse for making you wait almost two months for an update. I do hope you're satisfied with this chapter, as I feel that it moves the plot along much further than the previous two chapters did. I finally got something accomplished. Now, all you need to know is what happens with Sasuke in a week, how will Konoha deal with Takamoro's death, and what happens between Hinata and Deidara. (: And we'll be done. I make no promises about the length of this story, but I can't imagine it lasting TOO much longer. Well, leave a review, if you don't mind, and expect to hear from me again in about three weeks!)**


	27. The Capture

**(A/N: Hahahaha! I'm on time! :D I truly hope you all have been enjoying this story so far! I've enjoyed writing it, but I'm running out of ideas. We're drawing near the end of the story, so other than changing the pairing, I'm willing to hear what you guys would like to happen with all the loose ends that I named in the last chapter. If your ideas are plausible/genius/absolutely amazing, I'll use them to the best of my abilities. (: Aside from that (not that any of you could possibly care about this; you can go ahead and skip ahead if you'd like) I am the luckiest girl on the face of the planet! (: I've found the ONE guy at my school that acts like a gentleman and treats me like a precious treasure. 3 I am beyond excited, and I feel over the moon about him! (: I just wanted to share that with yall, and let you know that he's the one that made sure I actually got this done instead of being easily distracted and losing my trains of thought. So thank my amazingly wonderful boyfriend!)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 27

The moment the words left Kisame's mouth, he realized that Hinata's eyes had gone wide, and her face had lost all color. "I'm so sorry, Kisame-san," she whispered, just as his eyes registered her misshapen shadow.

He made an attempt to look down at his own feet, but found that he couldn't move his head. "What's going on?" He demanded.

"You're caught in Shikamaru-kun's Kagemane no Jutsu," a voice explained from the shadows before Hinata could even open her mouth to speak. Following the voice, a man with white eyes came into view. _Hinata's father,_ Kisame thought with a silent growl. _They caught up to us faster than we thought they would._

As the second figure stepped from the foliage, the shadows compelled both Kisame and Hinata to move forward, toward the Konoha ninja. Though both of them fought the shadows, the Nara was strong, and neither was able to break free.

Kisame's mind raced to find some way to escape the grip of the younger man's jutsu, but he could think of nothing. He and the ex-Hyuuga woman could wait and see how long it would take for him to run out of chakra, but that was an indefinable amount of time, and he didn't want to risk it. Aside from that, he'd never encountered this type of jutsu before, so he was unsure of how to counter it.

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Hinata could see Kisame trying to work out a way to break free of the jutsu. She shook her head, knowing that there was no other way unless Shikamaru ran low on chakra. She turned her Byakugan back on him; his chakra was still running relatively strong.

Her face fell into a blank mask as she realized how to get out of the situation. She refused to allow her eyes to shine with tears as she opened her mouth to speak. "Hello Shikamaru-kun, Hiashi-san. It's been a while."

"Don't act like you've done nothing wrong, Hinata. You're a missing ninja, and now you're a murderer," her father spat.

"I'm a wanted ninja now?" She asked, needing to be sure before she began.

"Of course you are!"

Shikamaru watched her suspiciously. Hinata knew that he knew that she knew the answer to her question, and was wondering where she was directing the conversation with her father.

She made a sound as though she was thinking, when in all actuality, she was gathering her courage to speak. "Okay. If I agree to go with you willingly, then you'll let Kisame-san go," she said, beginning her bargain.

"No," Hiashi flat-out disagreed.

"Why not? I am much more valuable to the village than him. I am an unmarked, main branch Hyuuga, a traitor to Konoha, and I killed one of your ANBU. He is of no relevance to your village, merely a pest to you people. He's from Kirigakure, so let them deal with him. I have always been a woman of my word, whether Konoha ninja or Akatsuki, so if you let him go, I will willingly return to Konoha," she explained, her voice coercive but monotonous.

The Hyuuga Clan leader opened his mouth to speak, but before he could answer, Shikamaru agreed. "Fine. I'll let him return to Akatsuki, but only on two conditions: that you will stay in Konoha once we bring you there and that he will leave us unharmed until we get there. We will not get through the gates only for you to disappear, and we will not let him go only for him to turn around and attack us."

Hinata sighed, but met his gaze instead of looking to the ground as she was so tempted to do. "Logical as ever, Shikamaru. You have my word that your two conditions will be met."

Shikamaru's eyes left hers, swinging to the large man beside her. "How do we know you'll agree to and follow through with these terms?"

For a moment, she watched Kisame merely glare at the younger man, but finally he spoke. "You don't. You have no reason to trust me, but I will agree to them anyway."

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Nodding slightly, trusting his instincts, Shikamaru withdrew his shadow. Neither of the Akatsuki ninja left their spots, but they both adjusted their stances more to fit them, rather than him.

Hinata's posture was slouched, in defeat, he supposed.

Kisame's was aggressive, but he didn't attack. He merely turned to look at the much smaller woman beside him. It may have been his imagination, but the Nara thought the stare to be accusatory.

Hinata took a small step forward, but the Hoshigaki caught her arm. A meaningful glance between them was enough to stop her in her tracks. "Come on, Hinata-san. We need to get back to the village and tell Hokage-sama what happened to the Hyuuga's supplier."

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"May I have a moment? I won't ask to be alone because I know the policy, but I would appreciate it if the two of you would give us a bit of space," she said, drawing deeply from all of the knowledge that Itachi had imparted upon her so that she could face her father and friend without crying or showing weakness.

Shikamaru nodded to her, then motioned for the Hyuuga leader to step back a short ways.

Hinata finally turned her back to her once-comrades. "Kisame-san, I'm so sorry. You are the more useful to Akatsuki, and it was the only way to free us from the Kagemane no Jutsu. Please don't be angry with me," she said, finally allowing the tears to fill her eyes.

Knowing that he was conscious of the eyes still watching them, Hinata knew why Kisame kept his voice low, and raised his arm only slightly to wipe away one of the tears. "I could never be angry with you, Hinata-san. I'm just worried. What if they torture you? I know you won't give us up, and that's what makes it so difficult to leave you to them."

"Don't worry about me. I don't think I'll be tortured until they know what to do with me. If word gets out that I'm back, they can't torture me without making the Hyuugas look bad. But this isn't why I asked for privacy. I want you to pass on a message for me."

"To Deidara?" Kisame threw out a guess and watched her nod.

"And Sasuke-san."

"Of course, Princess."

She smiled mournfully. "Tell Deidara-kun that I love him, that I'm sorry I couldn't be there, and not to be mad at you because there was nothing you could have done. And let Sasuke-san know that I've been captured, please."

Kisame nodded, agreeing. "I know we'll all miss you. But know this: we'll come for you. I know Deidara won't let this go. Sasuke probably won't either. I promise, one way or the other, we'll come and get you back."

Hinata shook her head doubtfully, but motioned the Konoha ninja back to them. "I'm ready to leave for Konoha now," she said, steadfastly staring in the direction of the village, not meeting the eyes of her captors or her partner.

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"Farewell, Princess," Kisame couldn't resist adding before he turned and made his way away from the three others.

Knowing that he needed to be as quick as possible to get news back to Akatsuki headquarters, he made his way through the icy wind, taking the most direct route to Kaminari no Kuni that he knew.

It was almost ironic. The cold swirling around him didn't usually bring him great discomfort, but he missed the warmth that his partner's presence typically provided. She was the best that the Akatsuki had, and he had just lost her.

Hinata could put herself aside and kill during a mission thanks to Itachi, but still be warm and caring when in the presence of friends. A ninja like her was one in a million, and he had just let Konoha take her back.

The worst part was that he couldn't go back and rescue her.

Well, he could, but he knew it wouldn't please Hinata. He knew that she would love to return home to Akatsuki, but she must be taken to Konoha. She wasn't a criminal at heart.

And he had lost her. Deidara was going to be furious with him.

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Hinata expected to be taken back to the village in uneasy silence, but the first thing she was met with was a curious stare and a slap on her cheek.

She fell to the ground reeling from the force put behind it, and knew that she would have a bruise there later. Gingerly, she cupped her cheek and stood, keeping silent through it all.

"How dare you leave my house and enter the Akatsuki?" Hiashi hissed.

Hinata stayed silent, wondering if he was going to hit her again. She had promised that neither she nor Kisame would attack them, but had forgotten to bargain for her own safety until she got to the village.

"Answer my question!" Her father demanded.

"Take a look at the way you treated me, then answer it yourself," she answered disrespectfully. It felt great to be able to finally stand up to her father, no longer worried about what would happen to her.

To her satisfaction, her father continued to fume, but got a far-away look in his eyes as he did what she ordered. All the anger seemed to drain away from him, along with all the color in his face.

From that moment, he didn't so much as meet her eyes for the rest of the day.

As they made camp that night, it was a relief for Hinata to be able to sit by a fire. The day had been long, frozen, and unpleasant, as she traveled silently with her quiet companions. They had obviously believed her about not fleeing or fighting because they did not tie her up or put chakra draining cuffs on her.

Shortly after they had eaten a scanty meal of fish that had been caught from a frozen river nearby, Hiashi spoke. "I am going to turn in. Shikamaru-kun, you have first watch." Hinata watched as he stood, entering the tent that had obviously been Shikamaru's, but was recently designated for the men.

Hinata stood to do the same, quietly telling the Nara of her plans and bidding him a quiet goodnight.

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However, that didn't stop Shikamaru from trying to start a conversation. "You're different, you know."

He watched as she froze mid-step. He could hear the self-depreciating laughter in her voice when she shook her head and spoke, "Yes, I know."

"Come back for a minute," he ordered, expecting her to meekly obey.

She turned to look at him for a short moment, then he was met with her back once more. As she was walking to her father's tent, recently designated for her, she threw over her shoulder, "I agreed to go back to your village willingly, not be your slave to order about as you want," she scowled at him, lifting the flap of her tent and zipping it shut with finality.

Shikamaru sat; he puzzled for a few moments over the change he knew had taken place within the young woman. He wondered what had happened to her since they had last met and she had been shy and obedient.

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Hinata flopped back on the bedroll she had been given, wondering how her life had changed so drastically. Delicately, she lifted her hand and felt the spot hen her face where her father had slapped her.

She wanted to lay her face in the mat and cry, but knew that she could do no such thing. She didn't want to return to Konoha. She had been happy with the Akatsuki, especially Deidara, and Konoha had already hurt her beyond forgiveness.

They killed Itachi.

Besides, she wouldn't be welcomed back by anyone. She was a murderer. She had killed an important village supplier, and an ANBU member. She would be a criminal in the eyes of the villagers, and if she was even allowed out on the streets by the Hokage, then they would surely ridicule.

She wasn't sure she didn't just want to spend the rest of her life in jail.

She closed her eyes, willing thoughts of the future away from her and concentrating on her surroundings. Hoping to calm her racing, panicky heart, she began practicing a trick that Deidara had taught her in one of their training sessions.

"_If you ever find yourself in a situation where you feel like you're about to panic, just breathe deeply in slow, even breaths. It's also handy for helping you clear your mind to fall asleep. Just focus on your breathing, but don't ignore your surroundings. Close your eyes, listen to the things around you, and think of breathing while you allow your ears to observe for you."_

Hinata allowed a small, sad smile to grace her lips. She would probably never get the chance to see him again. Whether Kisame said that they would come for her or not, Leader-sama would never allow them to risk the organization to rescue a small, nearly useless girl from a village many hours, if not a whole day away from the hideout.

Instead of dwelling on this thought, she put to practice what he had taught her. Her breathing slowed, and she allowed her consciousness to focus only on breathing and listening.

The sounds of the night were comforting, despite the chill that had begun to creep into her tent. The wind rushed through the trees, lending to the groaning of the snow weighing down their branches. Since there was very little wildlife out and about in the snowy night, she took pleasure in the peacefulness brought on by the wind alone.

Soon, her breathing evened out naturally and she fell into a light, fitful slumber.

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Deidara paced back and forth across the room throughout the story. His voice was low and deadly as he spoke, spinning to face the blue-skinned man. His blonde hair flew with the movement. "What did you say, Kisame?"

"Hinata-san allowed herself to be captured in order for me to escape. She bargained her freedom for my life." Kisame made an unpleasant face, then continued, "She also told me to let you know that she loves you and is sorry she didn't get to come back to the hideout with me."

"How could you let her do that?" Deidara nearly shouted. "You were her partner because we all knew you would protect her with your life and _not let her get caught!_ What were you thinking?"

His mind raced as it tried to take in the loss of the young Hyuuga woman. She had been an important piece of his life, and now she was gone. He couldn't do anything to help at the time of her capture. It just made it worse that the best friend of his worst enemy had been the one to tell him of the disaster.

"Deidara, you forget yourself," Kisame coldly responded. "You aren't in charge of this organization, and I'm not the one that 'let her get caught'. She gave herself up. You're not the only one who cares about her, and if you would listen, you would know that I plan to go and get her back. Whether or not you're invited is entirely up to you."

Deidara froze.

"You mean that we're going to return to break her out of Konoha?"

"I mean that _I_ am. I don't know if you're going," The Hoshigaki taunted, smiling in a cruel joke.

"I am coming with you to get her. I couldn't do anything to protect her when she got captured, so I'll protect her with my life to rescue her," Deidara stated firmly, nodding his head for added emphasis.

Deidara watched as Kisame nodded. "We need to plan the rescue, and I have to meet with Uchiha Sasuke in exactly one week. He will help us rescue her, also. If only because he feels the need to know what happened to Itachi."

At that, Deidara frowned. "That means we have to leave Hinata in the clutches of our enemy for over a week! We can't wait that long!"

"We have to."

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They made it to the village gates. _Finally,_ Hinata thought to herself. She didn't know how much longer she could take the oppressive silence and accusatory stares.

As she was led through a lesser populated section of Konoha, Hinata wondered why they were bothering to keep her return a secret. Everyone would know before the end of the day, no matter what was ordered or done.

The Hokage Tower came into view after much too long of a walk, in her opinion. She was led up the steps and told to wait by the guard at the door of the Godaime's office. Her two captors entered the office, presumably to let the Hokage know of the events that had transpired.

"Where are you going to put me?" Were the first words that left her mouth when she was led into the Hokage's office several dozen minutes later.

"I've already had some of the guards go down to the maximum security facility to prepare a cell for you. I'm not quite sure what we'll do with you, but if you'll give us some information, I can ease your punishment significantly." Tsunade's golden-brown eyes bored into Hinata's pearly ones.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to give you any information that you don't already know," the ex-Hyuuga replied in a stone-cold voice that would brook no arguments.

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"You're positive about this?" The blonde Hokage asked, hoping she could intimidate the young ninja that she once knew.

"Absolutely."

"Then your stay in the dungeon will be rather short. We'll have you in for interrogation at the end of the week." Tsunade's eyes narrowed, believing that her statement would break the young woman before her.

"Fine."

Leaning back in her chair, Tsunade was silently impressed with the ex-Hyuuga heiress. However, being impressed did not mean that she would go easy on the younger woman. "Take her to the dungeons, Shikamaru," she ordered.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The Nara turned away from Hinata and gestured for his once-friend to precede him.

**(A/N: Ah, another chapter done. I can't wait to hear all of your ideas, and I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter! (: I hope yall enjoyed this one, as well! I think I'll keep it short tonight, so good night, and have a wonderful evening!)**


	28. The Rescue  The End

**(A/N: Alrighty. Not much to say here, but check out my ending author's note. I'm sorry I'm two weeks late with this chapter, but writer's block killed my inspiration.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)**

Mysterious Captivation: Chapter 28

Shikamaru led her down to the ground floor of the Hokage Tower, then opened a dungeon-like door. Behind the door lay a set of stone stairs that looked to be directly carved out of the ground, probably with an earth-based jutsu.

"Down to the jail cells, Hyuuga-san." Shikamaru guided her through the doorway in front of him, shutting the door after both had passed through. It closed with a resounding thud.

_Like my time of being happy with the Akatsuki, _Hinata thought darkly as the echo sounded through the stairwell. Despite the thought, she walked with her head held high, perfectly poised.

She would have to keep her cool if she was ever going to play it off that she wasn't going to flee. She'd have to stay infallibly calm and collected because an emotional ninja was an unpredictable one, and she didn't want to be locked up in a cell that was completely cut off from all other people.

Stepping carefully down the final step of the short staircase and onto the landing of the prison cells, she was led to the one directly to her left. There was a heavy metal lock on the door leading into the barred cell.

Her Nara guide walked her into the cell, then drew a thin, rope-like bracelet out of a pocket on his flack jacket. "I'll need to put this on your wrist," he said, unclasping the circle and reaching toward her.

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He noticed the steel in her eyes and the tension in her body after the words left his mouth. She swept her hands behind her back, and he realized that he'd better explain what the bracelet would do to her. "This will drain most of your chakra, leaving you with enough to survive, but far too little to use any of your jutsu. It'll also leave you feeling weak for a few days until your body can adjust to losing its source of power. This is the requirement for allowing you to stay in the regular maximum security cells, as opposed to immediately giving you over to Ibiki-san."

He watched as his words processed in her mind. He knew she was analyzing them, looking for a possible loop-hole so that she wouldn't have to use the chakra draining cuff.

The Nara knew she had resigned herself when her shoulders slumped slightly and her eyes emptied of all emotion. She withdrew her hand from behind her, placing it before him palm down.

The minute the cuff was locked around her wrist, her eyes squeezed shut and she began to pitch forward. Shikamaru caught the unconscious kunoichi, wondering at the immediate drain the bracelet had put on her chakra.

Gently, he lifted her body and placed her on the bed inside her cell. He turned away, locking the door behind him, then made his way back up the stairs to report to Tsunade.

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As she became aware, Hinata took stock of her surroundings without opening her eyes. Her first perception was that she was lying on a thin mattress, and that she was cold. Lifting an arm, which was heavier than it should have been, she felt her forehead.

With the movement, her eyes opened and were drawn to the small window located at the top of her high-ceilinged cell. Through it, she could see only sky, and she knew it was meant more to help her keep time than to give her a view.

If she could keep time, then she could see how much of her life was wasting away. It was a torture technique all of its own, and she knew they had given her this cell to try to make her change her mind about giving them information.

If she could watch the passing of time, she would feel the boredom and loneliness that wouldn't be as definite if she couldn't define the amount of time that passed.

With that thought, she closed her eyes and wished for sleep once more. Feeling the weight on her eye lids, she let a small smile grace her lips before she drifted off to sleep once again.

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Deidara stalked about the Akatsuki hideout, making plans and getting permission for them. "I'm going to Konoha to rescue Hinata-chan, whether I have permission or not, yeah." He stated, making sure that Pein knew he was serious. "She's important to the morale of the Akatsuki, plus she's our medic ninja. She's got an important role to play in our organization, hm!"

Pein scowled. "You will do what I allow you to do. You're lucky that Konan cares for the girl, or I wouldn't even consider letting you break into Konoha and steal her away for a second time, Deidara. Make your plan, then come talk to me."

"Leader-sama, I've already made one, hm. We're going to have Uchiha Sasuke create a distraction while Kisame and I sneak into the Tower to rescue Hinata-chan. If we have any trouble, Kisame will take care of it while I escape with her, yeah."

Konan entered the room, having been searching for her husband, and joined the conversation. She placed a hand on Pein's shoulder to halt his words. "Do you think you will succeed? Or rather, will you stop until you succeed?"

Deidara's resolve was obvious when he next spoke, meeting the eyes of both of his superiors. "I won't stop until she's by my side here in the hideout, or the both of us are dead."

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The next time Hinata awoke, her father was sitting in an uncomfortable looking chair directly outside her cell. She sat up and moved to face him as he addressed her.

"Hello, Hinata."

"Hello, Hiashi-san. Can I help you?" She made sure to keep her face and voice emotionless, shuttering her eyes so that the man who raised her couldn't see what she was feeling.

"I spread the word that you had been captured. No one knows who leaked the information, though." He seemed hesitant to reveal this, but she refused to allow that to affect her.

"Why do you care?"

"If the village knows you're here, they can't torture you for information without risking insulting our clan." Her father, though she denied the relationship, explained as though what he said should have been obvious.

"Your clan. I'm no longer a part of the Hyuuga. I gave up my familial connections when I abandoned the village." She responded in the same tone that he had used with her.

The Hyuuga clan leader scowled at what was probably the reminder that his sweet little girl was a traitor to his way of life and their village. It made Hinata feel slightly sick to her stomach to cause her father such pain, but she had to leave all of that behind if she ever wanted to truly be an Akatsuki. "Even still. You cannot be tortured, thanks to the leak in information. You should be thankful to the village and tell the Hokage what she needs to know."

"That will never happen!" Hinata spat, furious at even the thought of it. "How dare you suggest that? I will never betray the only people who have treated me like I have the potential to be something."

She watched as her father's eyes widened, then filled with hurt. It was quickly replaced with indifference, almost quick enough for her to believe that her eyes were playing tricks on her.

But she knew they weren't. "You can leave now because there is nothing you can do to make me change my mind." She moved to lie back on her bed, still feeling weak due to her lack of chakra.

She heard her father sigh, then listened as his clothes rustled and the chair legs scraped on the ground. His footsteps echoed up the stairs, and then he was gone with the thud of the door.

Her heavy eyes closed again, and she fell into a dreamless slumber once more, the conversation having tired her out.

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"Leader-sama, it's been a week since she's been captured, hm. Kisame and I are going to meet with the Uchiha to tell him of our plan and make sure he'll be a part of it. We're leaving now, yeah." Deidara stated, standing in the hall with Kisame, just inside the front door of the lair.

Pein and Konan, standing close to one another, nodded their heads. "Go, then," Pein said, gesturing to the door.

"Be safe," Konan added as their backs turned and the door opened.

Kisame and Deidara raised their hands in answer, then shut the door behind them.

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Sasuke was furious. Konoha had messed with his plans again! "I'll help you, but I'll **demand** to have her answer all my questions as soon as we meet back up."

"Fair enough, un," Deidara said, already greatly disliking the younger Uchiha even more than the deceased older one.

The team of three went over the plan one final time, then began their journey to Konoha.

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The door of Tsunade's office burst open, and the first words out of Naruto's mouth were "Sasuke's standing at the front gates!"

Tsunade stood from her desk, casting her chair into the wall behind her, and followed Naruto to the location where Sasuke had last been spotted. They conversed along the way. "How long ago was he spotted, and did he state his purpose?"

"About ten minutes ago. He wants to know which ANBU killed his brother. Obviously he wasn't one of the civilians that I told about Hinata-chan." Naruto stated, his face a mask of seriousness. There was no trace of the laughing young man she had seen earlier that day. This Naruto meant business.

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Deidara used a henge to walk through the village, carefully monitoring the chakra levels of the ninja around him. He made his way into the Hokage Tower without being caught, then melted into the shadows of the building.

Each time someone passed by, he withdrew to the shadows and suppressed his chakra until they were long gone. _The commotion that Sasuke created at the gates has most of the ninja down there, to protect the village. _Deidara smirked, knowing that there was little chance that Hinata would have a guard when it was so unlikely that Sasuke would pair up with his brother's organization.

He quickly glanced around, then slipped silently down the steps to the dungeon, where Sasuke had told him Hinata would be held. Instead of allowing the door to thud against its frame, he gently guided it closed so only a click was made.

Deidara ghosted down the stairs, quietly tracing the steps that Hinata had taken merely a week earlier. When he reached the bottom of the steps, he froze. There was already someone sitting with Hinata, as though they were waiting for him to show up.

Deep brown hair and pearlescent eyes, almost identical to Hinata's, turned to glance carelessly in his direction. "Should I play knocked-out?" He asked, turning back to Hinata.

"Why? What did you see?" Hinata asked, craning her head to try to see past the doorway of her cell.

"Your boyfriend has come by to pick you up," Neji responded, smiling slightly at the irony. There would be no returning from their 'date', he knew.

"Deidara-kun? Oh, thank goodness!" Hinata smiled dazzlingly, tears in her eyes, when she spotted his blond hair.

Relief flooded his tense face as he realized that Neji was going to let him take her away again. "I'll have to knock you out, yeah. That way, you won't be blamed," Deidara warned, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, but knowing it was necessary.

"Even better than playing. You'd better take good care of my cousin, or I'll personally hunt you down and kill you," Neji threatened, scowling in the direction of the blond. "I'll never know what she sees in you, but you make her happy. That's the only reason I'm letting you out of here alive."

Deidara nodded, respecting the younger man. "Of course. I'll be sure I never incur that wrath, then, cause I'll treat her the way she deserves to be treated, hm," he said, reaching up to strike Neji's pressure point.

He caught the Hyuuga before he hit the ground, then arranged him so that it looked like he fell, but would still be slightly less stiff when he awoke.

The explosives artist quickly located the keys and freed Hinata from her cell. She ran into his arms, and they stood in the door way for a few moments.

Soon, though, their circumstances pressed upon them, and the blond lifted her into his arms and made his way back up the stairs and out the door, careful to stay unobserved.

He soon met up with Kisame, and the three inconspicuously made their way out of the village and into the surrounding countryside. As expected, Sasuke appeared in the clearing shortly after they did.

The allotted time was up, and they had succeeded!

Before Deidara could do more than set his Hinata on the ground, Sasuke was standing in front of them, demanding answers.

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Arming Sasuke with all the knowledge she had of his brother, Hinata waited for a reaction, whether positive or negative.

She watched him bring a hand to his face, then lower it again after merely staring at it.

"All this time? Just to save the village. Konoha."

"Yes. He loved it with all his heart, but he loved you more. You should try to find it in your heart to forgive both him and the village for their wrongs," Hinata said from where she sat, directly across from him in a clearing a safe distance away from the village.

"I don't think I can." Sasuke growled, furiously picking at the grass on either side of his legs.

"Why don't you wander around the shinobi nations to learn about forgiveness and all that other crap civilians teach instead of returning to Konoha or your team immediately?" Kisame suggested from his place in one of the trees surrounding them, where he was keeping watch.

The Uchiha seemed to consider this suggestion for a moment, before he finally agreed. "Fine," he said as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

That was the last they saw of Uchiha Sasuke, but several years later, Hinata came across a rumor that Sasuke had returned to Konoha and publically asked for forgiveness for his wrong-doings.

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Shortly after Sasuke disappeared from their presence, the trio made their way back to the Akatsuki hideout.

Hinata was enthusiastically greeted by both Konan and Tobi, while most of the others offered her reserved waves or hellos. Zetsu and Hidan merely glared, leaving the room after she had been presented as rescued.

Though she still had a lot to do to adjust, Deidara, Kisame, and Konan helped her transition into a fully-functioning member of the Akatsuki Clan.

In her own right, Hinata became a powerful asset to the Akatsuki, following teams of her criminals on all missions where the danger level was high.

After several years in Akatsuki, in a private ceremony, she and Deidara were wed with Konan and Pein as their witnesses.

The years that followed were some of the happiest ones of her life, even though they were stressful and somewhat frightening sometimes.

Such was the life of an S-ranked missing ninja in an organization full of monsters who took on human kindnesses during the most frightening days of her life.

**(A/N: It's over! After twenty eight chapters and 254 pages on Microsoft Word, and more almost two years, Mysterious Captivation is finally complete. Thank you for all of you who had the patience to keep up with me during this whole story, and I really especially appreciate your patience in these last few months. I'm really sorry if the ending seems a bit rushed, but I just lost all inspiration for this story. :/ I finished it, and I got what I wanted out of it, but I had planned to have a lot more substance than just telling you all about what happened in the future. Ah well. I figured you'd appreciate a chapter, whether rushed and uninspired or not, to at least give you some closure in the story and let you know what happened. I may come back in a few months, after taking a nice, long break from this, and write more into the plot, but I doubt it'll change too much other than simply expanding on what I've already written. I hope you enjoyed the journey with me, and I'll see you when I post my next story!)**


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